Dramatic summer on Catalan beaches. The number of people who died while bathing close to the sand continues to grow, for now without stopping. Three more swimmers have lost their lives in 24 hours. With the grim figures on the table, we are facing the worst start to summer in the last decade: 19 drownings since June 15. The authorities, with Civil Protection at the helm, continue to send messages of caution and responsibility and warn of an early summer with many yellow flag days due to the swell.
In at least 7 of the 19 fatal drownings, the yellow flag was flying, which allows swimming, but calls for extreme caution. On Tuesday evening at Miracle beach in Tarragona, the yellow was waving. A 40-year-old Italian drowned around 7:30 p.m. after jumping into the sea to help a couple struggling to get out of the water in the area of ??rocks near Fortí de la Reina. The 23-year-old girl had to be treated for an anxiety attack. Both could be saved.
An exceptionally negative start to summer, with some situations, moreover, particularly worrying. At Miracle, the most urban and crowded beach in the city of Tarragona, very familiar, three people have already drowned, all young people, aged between 25 and 32: July 8, 26 and August 1. On the same beach, another bather was taken to hospital yesterday in a serious condition. The drowning took place at 8.30 in the morning, when the rescue service is inactive.
The situation yesterday provoked the reaction of the Tarragona City Council, which met with the Red Cross, which provides the lifeguard service on the beaches, Civil Protection and the Urban Guard. The municipal government (PSC) has decided to extend the lifeguard service by one more hour, from seven to eight in the evening, after realizing that it is one of the most frequented areas. The plenum must vote urgently today on the modification of the concession of the service provided by the Red Cross, with an additional cost of 35,000 euros until September 31.
It won’t be the only shocking decision. “We had to act quickly and urgently; some measures were already being prepared”, assured Montse Adan, accidental mayor yesterday. Contacts have been opened with the Port Authority to mark with buoys and prohibit swimming when there are bad seas in an area close to the marina, next to the rocks, at El Miracle, where it has been verified that on certain days the currents marines make it difficult to swim back to the beach. It was at this point that Tuesday’s drowning took place. Signage will also be improved.
“In recent years we are seeing a change in the sea currents; this year is the most pronounced, with very strong currents that change in a very few hours”, emphasizes Joan Carles Castellví, coordinator of the Red Cross rescue service in Tarragona.
The second fatality in the last 24 hours is another bather, 48 years old, found yesterday morning floating on Gavà beach (Baix Llobregat). The third victim is the nine-year-old girl who drowned on a beach in Castelló d’Empúries, on the Costa Brava, on Saturday, but who died on Tuesday at the Josep Trueta hospital (Girona), where she was admitted.
