A youngster, of 17 year old, Brazilian nationals, drowned on Saturday afternoon, the river beach of Tapada Grande, Mina de São Domingos, in the Mértola municipality, after falling into the water from a waterfall inside a seagull outside the protected bathing area.
The drowning alert came at 4:11 p.m., on what was the first day of the Bathing Season of 2024 and there were three lifeguards at the scene who were unable to do anything to save the young man who has been living in the county seat for two months.
According to what was possible, a group of friends took a seagull ride, which is only permitted outside the bathing area, and it was when they were returning to land that the accident occurred. The remaining occupants managed to get out of the water alive., with the exception of the fatal victim.
It was the lifeguards who located the young man's body, take it to the shore, performed resuscitation maneuvers, but there was nothing to do, the young man died at the scene.
Divers from the Serpa and Moura Fire Department and the INEM helicopter from Faro were mobilized, who were demobilized, given the fact that the young man could not resist the injuries he suffered when diving into the waters of Tapada Grande, considered in recent years to be the best in Europe in its segment. There had been no fatal accidents on that river beach for over a decade..
On site were 19 operating the Mértola Fire, Serpa and Moura, GNR, Castro Verde SIV vehicle, supported by seven vehicles and a vessel and helicopters from INEM Faro,
The body was transported to the Beja Medical-Legal Office where it will be autopsied.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
