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Hero pensioner saves Irish man from drowning in northern Spain
The 20-year-old tourist ran into difficulty while swimming in a Galicia river
The Galician town of Ourense in northwestern Spain has a new hero in the unlikely form of 70-year-old Juan Blanco, who plunged without hesitation into the Miño River last week and saved the life of a 20-year-old Irish tourist.
The pensioner was enjoying a relaxing day at the A Chavasqueira hot springs on Wednesday August 23, a popular enclave on the banks of the Miño River situated in the heart of the city.
Although its urban location means that the waters are always relatively calm, the river is known for treacherous currents and Mr Blanco noticed the young bather was in trouble as he struggled around 50 metres from the shore. While the exact cause hasn’t been reported, the brave rescuer believes that fatigue or a cramp prevented him from swimming to safety.
According to the pensioner, while plenty of other sunbathers heard the Irish holidaymaker’s shouts, nobody reacted, and the boy’s panicked father, unable to swim, could only watch helplessly from the river bank. That’s when Mr Blanco plunged into the water to pull the young tourist to safety.
"No one helped me to help him, people just watched," Mr Blanco told local reporters.
When the emergency services, Civil Protection and Local Police arrived at the scene, the boy was already out of the water. He was unharmed, although he was in shock, according to witnesses. The fortunate Irish man was transferred to the Ourense University Hospital Complex (CHUO) as a precaution.
Born in Ourense, Juan Blanco has lived in Switzerland for four decades but still tries to escape to his home town whenever he can to enjoy a few days off.
In other news: Irish tourist, 34, found dead in Ibiza hotel room
Image: Google Maps
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