A 24-year-old man died at Mil Palmeras beach, while a second man lost his life after being pulled unconscious from the water off Torrevieja.
Two men have died in separate drowning incidents on the southern Costa Blanca within the space of 24 hours.
The first tragedy occurred on Sunday afternoon in the coves of Torrevieja, while a 24-year-old man later died at Mil Palmeras beach in Pilar de la Horadada.
24-year-old dies at Mil Palmeras
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at Mil Palmeras at around 7.40pm on Sunday, according to municipal sources. The death was subsequently confirmed on Monday by the Generalitat Valenciana’s Emergency Information and Coordination Centre, CICU.
The victim was a Spanish national who lived in Balsicas, in the municipality of Torre Pacheco in the neighbouring Region of Murcia.
Local Police and Guardia Civil officers attended the scene. CICU dispatched a SAMU advanced life-support ambulance and a basic life-support unit carrying medical personnel.
Emergency teams performed advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life-support procedures, but the man did not respond and was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was removed at approximately 9.30pm.
Incident occurred after lifeguard service ended
The drowning happened after the municipal lifeguard and rescue service had finished operating for the day.
Daily lifeguard coverage at Mil Palmeras began on June 15 and runs until 7pm.
According to lifeguard management company Ambumar, yellow flags advising caution had been flying throughout Sunday in the northern and central sections of the beach.
Sea conditions have deteriorated in recent days as easterly winds accompanied the heat and haze, following calmer weather during the earlier weeks of June.
Municipal sources said lifeguards had repeatedly intervened over the weekend to prevent swimmers from entering areas where red flags were flying.
Red flags, which prohibit bathing, were also in place on Sunday at several beaches in Orihuela Costa and Elche managed by the same company.
Mil Palmeras is an open, white-sand beach extending for approximately 500 metres between the mouth of the Nacimiento River and the first cliffs of Barranco Rubio, near Orihuela Costa. It is particularly popular with residents of the Vega Baja and the Region of Murcia.
Man dies after being rescued from Torrevieja coves
The second fatality occurred at around 4.45pm on Sunday, when emergency services were called after an unconscious man was pulled from the water in the coves of Torrevieja.
A SAMU medical team attended and attempted to resuscitate him, but he did not respond and was pronounced dead, according to CICU.
The cove area is not covered by Torrevieja City Council’s municipal lifeguard service and can become particularly hazardous during rough sea conditions.
Several drownings have been recorded in the area in recent years. Concerns have also been raised over the absence of signs warning visitors that no lifeguard service is available.
The image shows the drowning at Mil Palmeras_Courtesy Facebook: Olga Sastre Castro
