Seventeen people rescued from the sea at Mira, Coimbra

This is a service that is provided a few weeks before and a few weeks after the bathing season, which guarantees prevention on the beaches of the municipality, under the protocol signed in partnership between the Municipality of Mira and Adamastor.

“On Saturday, there were three rescues, in which four people were rescued. On Sunday, there were 13 rescues throughout the day”, Diogo Morais, coordinator of the Association of Lifeguards of Mira, told Lusa.

According to the source, although Portuguese were rescued, most were foreigners.

It was an “excellent job carried out this weekend when it was very hot and the sea was ‘treacherous’, with many waters and that’s why [the lifeguards] had a lot of work”, said the mayor. Municipality of Mira, Raul Almeida.

“As we are already out of the bathing season, luckily we have the prevention service. At the right time, the City Council invested in this project that ensures prevention in the period after the bathing season. At this time of year there is no surveillance, there is only this prevention carried out by two lifeguards and a quad bike, which is supported by the City Council”, he concluded.

The agreement between the municipality and Adamastor includes the provision of a quad bike by the municipality to the association, payment of fuel for its operation, two lifeguards, as well as the remaining material necessary for the exercise of functions.

COMMENT

Hopefully this large number in just one municipality will help get the message across concerning beach safety. It is fortunate that this agreement exists, as there are many beaches now without lifeguards, since the end of the bathing season.

It is important that people following the beach safety measures that are regularly promoted on this page especially as the number of drownings so far this year stands at over 100, the highest for 5 years.