Lifeguards are believed to have warned tourists not to enter the water at Racó beach in Cullera, Spain, following strong currents when the incident took place
A Brit tourist has died just off a Spanish beach after drowning while swimming “while the red flag was raised”.
Spanish officials pulled an unresponsive 77-year-old British man from the sea off Racó beach in Cullera, in Valencia, Spain, reportedly following warnings from lifeguards. Paramedics rushed to the scene following alerts at around 11.30am on Tuesday following reports that the man had entered the water after strong currents developed.
They performed CPR for 30 minutes but were unable to save the Brit. Lifeguards had reportedly warned holidaymakers not to go in the sea after the currents strengthened, with the resort, to the south of Valencia, having seen other deaths this year, with additional people requiring rescuing from the water.
People have long warned that tourists fail to take notice of flags being raised on the beach, with previous deaths from Raco’s waves seeing officials calling on bathers to “be responsible”. In 2015, following the death of a 56-year-old man who had a heart attack after he was swept out to sea, a source from the Cullera town hall condemned people who fail to notice the warnings while speaking to El Pais.
They said: “We don’t want to criminalise anybody, but there are people who take no notice of the flags. We have to call on bathers to be responsible.” In July, a man died on the Cullera beach of San Antonio, but health sources told the Europe Press they were unable to identify the victim, who drowned after emergency services were dispatched.
The publication reported that the local Emergency Information and Coordination Centre (CICU) dispatched a Servicios de Asistencia Médica de Urgencias (SAMU) unit to the scene. Staff attempted to resuscitate the man but received no response, and he was declared dead.
The death was the second that month to have died in waters in the Valencian community, with a 28-year-old man declared dead after he drowned in the Júcar river.
Cullera has a reputation for its strong currents, with Valencian beaches in general seeing frequent rip currents caused by gusts of wind that push large waves to shore. Due to shallow waters, there is little space, and the currents rush back out to sea, dragging people with them.
