Panaji : Thirteen persons were rescued from drowning by lifesavers in Goa over the weekend, including two foreign nationals and a Gujarat resident, who slipped off a rock at the Dudhsagar waterfalls and fell into the water below, necessitating his rescue.
The 34-year-old man from Gujarat lost his bearings after he slipped into the water and was struggling to surface for breath. Devendra Naik, a Drishti Marine lifesaver on duty at the popular waterfall, rushed to his aid with the help of a rescue tube and brought him back to shore.
In a triple rescue off Morjim beach, three Mumbai residents aged 35, 21 years and a minor aged six years were rescued by lifesavers. A mother and son who had waded into the water were thrown off balance. Their panic attracted the attention of a bystander, who tried to pull them to safety, but soon all three of them were in peril. Drishti Marine lifesavers Vikas Chavan and Ketan Nagvekar immediately rushed to their aid and brought them back to the shore.
At Calangute beach, three men aged between 26 to 31 years from Karnataka and Maharashtra waded into the deeper sections of the water and were unable to swim back to shore. Drishti Marine lifesavers Hari Chopdekar, Leslie Rodrigues and Shubham Keluskar secured the three men back to shore.
A jetski was launched at Arambol beach to rescue two men from Indore and a 24-year-old Russian woman back to shore, after they found themselves caught in a rough current in the deeper sections of the water.
A single rescue operation was conducted off Mandrem beach, involving a 10-year-old minor from Italy. Drishti Marine lifesavers Hiren Keluskar and Shubham Satelkar saw the boy being carried away by a strong wave and quickly secured him with the help of a rescue tube. A 25-year-old woman from Rajasthan and a 34-year-old man from Mumbai were also secured safely to shore at the Arambol sweet water lake and off Calangute beach respectively.
Drishti Marine lifesavers had to provide first-aid to two persons at Baina and Calangute beaches. A lifesaver at Calangute Beach administered oxygen to a 21-year-old man from Panaji, who was experiencing chest pain. The man’s vitals returned to normal once he was taken to the nearest healthcare facility, while a woman at Baina beach had to be given first-aid, after she cut her hand while deboarding from a boat.
At Palolem, a nine-year-old boy was reunited with his parents after being traced with the assistance of a fisherman and Drishti Marine lifesavers.
