Retired swimmer rescues 80-year-old woman showing signs of drowning in Calp

The incident occurred at around 13:30 on Wednesday. According to accounts gathered, a man identified as Gabriel noticed that the woman, positioned about twenty metres from the shore, was moving her arms strangely before ending up face down in the water.

Gabriel turned her over and dragged her to the shore with the help of fins, assisted by a British tourist named Brian, who joined the rescue. A Spanish couple who witnessed the scene called 112 to raise the alarm.

Emergency teams arrived at the scene within five minutes. Two ambulances, units from the Local Police, a SAMU unit and a Basic Life Support unit participated in the operation.

The SAMU medical team managed, according to those same accounts, to stabilise the woman on the sand before transfer. Finally, the patient was transported by Basic Life Support ambulance to Dénia Hospital due to the drowning symptoms she was presenting, which the Emergency Coordination Centre confirmed.