Between May and July, eighteen people have drowned in the province of Alicante, more than in the whole of 2023 when the total for the year was 17, according to data from the Spanish Federation of Rescue and Lifeguarding. They are all victims in aquatic spaces, from swamps to swimming pools and the sea of course, but in the case of the province the majority are recorded in the latter.
When explaining the causes, experts from the federation point to the increase in the occupation of the coast with the same lifeguard service despite the rise. They demand that the administrations now increase human and material resources, with an increase in surveillance, extension of the hours of the rescue personnel during the summer, starting the service earlier and lengthening it in the afternoon, due to the increased number of deaths by drowning in supervised spaces outside the established hours.
They also want surveillance extended beyond the summer season in a region with increasingly more months of good weather and more people bathing in the sea in spring, autumn and even winter, introducing minimum coverage in restricted areas, equipping each post with a watchtower and rescue equipment to ensure that those who do go to bathe can do so safely.
The first half of June was by far the worst period on the beaches of Alicante, with twelve victims, during a period before the lifeguard service was introduced.
It was eventually activated in July, but still, just last week a couple drowned in Guardamar and on Sunday they were followed by two more deaths, one on the beaches of El Campello and another in Pilar de la Horadada. In addition, an 80-year-old woman died on Monday while bathing on a beach in Torrevieja that didn’t have a lifeguard service.
Alberto García Sanz, director of the Spanish School of Lifesaving and First Aid, says that “the increase in tourism means a greater risk of deaths by drowning.” According to García, people bathe more when there is no surveillance than in unsupervised areas. “In most beaches in the province of Alicante there are usually lifeguards, but they are only present during peak hours.”
He points out that more and more people are arriving at the beach as early as 7 or 8 in the morning. “These people are in the water before the lifeguard service arrives and they don’t know if there is a red, yellow or green flag; or if there are currents that are likely to drag them out into the sea, with no one around to help.”
He also added that “the Spanish economy is largely supported by tourism, so we need to take measures to ensure that this does not happen. However, safety in the aquatic environment is not being increased proportionally, nor are the resources that should be available in these environments.”
