54-year-old bather dies after being rescued from the sea at Esquinzo beach

A man aged about 54 has died after being rescued from the sea with signs of drowning at Esquinzo beach, in the municipality of La Oliva, according to information provided by the Canary Islands Government’s Emergency and Security Co-ordination Centre (CECOES) 112.

The incident happened on Saturday, 3 October, at around 15:32, about 100 metres from the shore.

The 112 emergency service received an alert reporting that several bathers had pulled an unconscious person from the water.

After speaking to the callers and gathering information about the man’s condition, a nurse co-ordinating the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) found that he was in cardiac arrest and gave instructions for basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation to begin until medical teams arrived.

Emergency teams were unable to save his life

A SUC basic life support ambulance and the primary care team from Corralejo health centre were sent to the scene. A medical helicopter was also mobilised.

On arrival, medical staff found that the man showed signs of drowning and remained in cardiac arrest.

They continued with advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but were ultimately unable to revive him and confirmed his death.

Because vehicles had difficulty accessing the beach, the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) rescue helicopter later transported the body to the place where the Civil Guard and the judicial authorities were waiting.

La Oliva’s firefighters secured the area to allow the aircraft to land and assisted the other emergency teams deployed at the scene.

The response involved GES personnel from the Canary Islands Government, La Oliva Fire and Rescue Service, the beach rescue service, SUC, primary care staff, the local police and the Civil Guard.

The security forces took charge of the relevant proceedings.