ARCHIVED - Young girl and elderly man almost drown off Murcia beaches
Two separate incidents were reported on Tuesday: one in Santiago de la Ribera and another in Aguilas.
A three-year-old girl and an 80-year-old man both needed hospital treatment for near-drowning on Tuesday (8 June), emergency services have reported.
The first accident happened off Castillitos beach in Santiago de la Ribera, where the young child was pulled from the water at about 1.35 pm. She was conscious but vomiting, and was taken by ambulance to Los Arcos Mar Menor hospital for treatment.
The elderly man, meanwhile, was reported to have fainted while swimming off Calabardina beach in Aguilas at about 4 pm. Other bathers helped him from the water and called for assistance as he was having trouble breathing, and he was taken by ambulance to Rafael Méndez hospital in Lorca for medical attention.
Incidents of this type are far from rare on the Spanish coasts, and with the hot summer weather now upon us we can, unfortunately, expect to see many more of these accidents over the coming weeks, some of which will sadly not end well.
The advice most often given during the summer months is never bathe alone and always ensure that other bathers are nearby.
One of the most common cause of dizziness and fainting is the shock to the body of moving from a hot beach to cold water rapidly, and not allowing the body sufficient time to acclimatise to the change in temperature, a particular problem for the elderly or infirm.
Image: Cruz Roja. Archive.