Azores Situation Report Thursday 31st October 2024
51-year-old man dies after being swept away by the sea
A 51-year-old Belgian man, who was swept away by a rip current on Monte Verde beach last Friday, ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Emergency Department of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo.
Last Friday, a man and a child were rescued on Monte Verde beach, after being swept away by riparian waves.
According to the National Maritime Authority, the 51-year-old man and the 12-year-old child, both of Belgian nationality, were rescued “after allegedly getting into difficulties in the water, after being dragged by large swells, on Monte Verde beach, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande”.
The alert was received at 4:45 pm on Friday, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with elements of the local command of the Ponta Delgada Maritime Police and the ‘Sea Watch’ project being mobilized to the location.
The National Maritime Authority revealed that, upon arrival at the scene, rescuers found that the child, assisted by a swimmer who was nearby, “was physically well, without needing medical assistance”.
The man, who was in cardiorespiratory arrest, “was rescued to land by a surfer, and was immediately assisted by lifeguards from the Ribeira Grande pools, in collaboration with members of the SRPCBA”, who later transported him to the hospital in Ponta Delgada.
According to the hospital, the man ended up dying, having been declared dead in the Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Seven suspects arrested for involvement in hard drug trafficking network in Ponta Delgada
The PSP arrested six men, and one woman accused of trafficking hard drugs in the parish of Livramento, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, as part of a “family-oriented” network
Following suspicious movements near a café in the parish, the police detected “an intense and abnormal flow of drug addicts heading towards the establishment and its surrounding area”.
According to the statement released, “various indications and evidence were then collected that pointed to the existence of a network of drug traffickers, of a family nature, suspected of carrying out transactions of significant quantities of hard drugs, specifically heroin and synthetic drugs”.
The PSP carried out three house searches and 11 non-house searches, having seized synthetic drugs, money, three cars and four motorcycles, among other objects.
The seven people were brought before a criminal investigating judge at the Ponta Delgada Court, and the most serious coercive measure, preventive detention, was applied.
The PSP added that two other arrests of suspects linked to this criminal network had previously been made, with one of them being under house arrest.
Soldier dies in Ponta Delgada during physical condition diagnostic test
A soldier died this Wednesday following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred “during the physical condition diagnostic test” at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, announced the Army, which opened an investigation process.
“It is with pain and great consternation that the Portuguese Army announces the death of a recruit soldier from the 6th Common General Training Course for Army Enlisted Personnel, incorporated on October 21st, into the 2nd Garrison Regiment, who left prematurely and unexpectedly”, said a statement released this Wednesday.
According to the Army, the death of the 22-year-old soldier occurred at the São Gonçalo Military Camp, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, “following a cardiorespiratory arrest that occurred during the physical condition diagnostic test (Cooper Test), which all recruit soldiers take at the beginning of their training”.
“The soldier was immediately evacuated, by ambulance, to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, where resuscitation manoeuvres were carried out, without success, and his death was declared at the end of the morning”, it adds.
The Army added that it “activated psychological support for the family” and opened an investigation process to determine the causes of what happened.
The soldier was from the municipality of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel.