The NGO Emerlan (Emergencies and Rescue Lanzarote) had to intervene this Friday in two rescues in Puerto del Carmen, specifically in Playa Chica. The first occurred at 11:27, when the lifeguard on duty on that beach noticed that there was a diver who was on the surface and asking for help.
Upon approaching the woman, a 51-year-old Italian, she told him that she had swallowed a lot of water and that she had difficulty breathing. The lifeguard took the victim to the shore and once there, they provided her with oxygen and first aid until the arrival of the Emerlan ambulance, which transferred her to the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital.
Hours later, at 4:50 p.m., the two lifeguards on that same beach had to intervene to help an 8-year-old boy from the Basque Country. He was "about 20 meters away from the coast with obvious signs of distress", according to Emerlan. In this case, everything was just a scare. The lifeguards reached him and took him to the shore, without the need to provide medical assistance.
Interventions increase
Emerlan highlights that this year there has been an "increase" in interventions on beaches compared to last year. According to the NGO, between January and July 2013, they had to carry out 45 rescues, 25 transfers to health centers and 143 cures on site.
These interventions have been carried out on the beaches where Emerlan provides services, including Playa Chica, Playa Grande, Pocillos and Matagorda, belonging to the municipality of Tías, and Famara and Las Cucharas, from the municipality of Teguise.
In a statement, Emerlan reminds users of the beaches and coastline of Lanzarote "that precautions must be taken, especially on these windy days, especially with the use of floats and the like, since these are easily dragged by the wind out to sea."
In addition, they point out that if this happens, "in case we see that we have moved away from the coast and we cannot reach it by swimming, we must make visual and acoustic signals (whistle or shout) to the shore, and in no case abandon the floating element in which we find ourselves".
