The National Maritime Authority (AMN) carried out a total of 249 rescues on the beaches under its jurisdiction between Friday and Sunday, a period in which three people also went missing while bathing, it was announced today.
“Last weekend, from April 12 to 14, the National Maritime Authority (AMN) saw a large turnout on Portuguese beaches, with 249 rescues recorded over these three days on the beaches under AMN jurisdiction,” the statement said.
It is also reported that in this period of rising temperatures and sunshine, there has been a fourth disappearance, outside of bathing areas. The case concerns a young man who fell into the water in the Cais do Sodré area of Lisbon.
The AMN recommends that the population take a number of precautions due to the continued good weather, pointing out that at this time of year there is still “a winter sea” and “a high risk due to the effects of sea turbulence”.
Among the recommendations, the AMN calls for children to be constantly supervised, not allowed to wander off and always kept close to an adult.
Nor should you turn your back on the sea, always keeping a safe distance from the waterline to avoid being caught by a wave.
The AMN also urges people who witness a dangerous situation in the water to call 112 for help and not to enter the water.
The maritime authorities are today involved in several searches by water and/or land due to disappearances over the weekend in sea and river waters: at Costa Nova beach, in Ílhavo, in the district of Aveiro; at Vieira beach, in Marinha Grande, district of Leiria; in the Tagus river, in Lisbon; and at Salgueiros beach, in Vila Nova de Gaia, district of Porto.
Searches are continuing today at Salgueiros beach, in the area from Aguda to the mouth of the River Douro, for the 16-year-old Moroccan boy who disappeared on Friday afternoon.
Searches are also continuing, 25 kilometers south of the entrance to Barra do Porto de Aveiro, to find the 19-year-old who disappeared on Sunday in the sea off Costa Nova beach.
The young man, a Brazilian national, is missing after allegedly going for a swim and being swept away by the strong current.
Searches have also resumed for a 21-year-old man who has been missing since late Saturday afternoon on Vieira beach. The drowning alert involved two young men, but one of them, 26, was rescued and taken to hospital.
According to the Maritime Police, a young man of Cape Verdean nationality born in 1998 went missing on Sunday morning at Cais do Sodré and a friend jumped into the water to save him, but ended up having to be helped by a third person. Search operations are continuing in this case too.