Panaji, May 2024: Seven missing children were traced by Drishti Marine personnel over the weekend, taking the total number of children reunited with their families on Goa’s beaches to 58 since January 2024.
The damp weekend also bore witness to three rescues, including a triple rescue at Palolem beach and three cases of first aid administered to treat various injuries.
There were two separate cases of children reunited with their parents at Calangute beach. A three-year-old girl and nine-year-old boy, both from Karnataka, were found unattended by lifesavers and subsequently reunited with their families.
In another incident at Colva beach, an eight-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl from Quepem were discovered in distress by vigilant lifesavers, who spent nearly one hour searching for their parents. Once identified, the duo were handed over to their family after being taken through appropriate identification protocol by the police.
At Miramar beach, a seven-year-old child was found unattended by a tourist following a rush triggered by the sudden rainfall on Sunday evening. The tourist reported the incident to the patrolling Drishti Marine lifesavers at the lifeguard tower, who reunited the child with her parents.
At Palolem beach, a patrolling lifesaver found a three-year-old Goan boy in distress and reunited him with his mother after making several announcements from their patrol vehicle and the lifeguard tower.
At Baga beach, a man from Kerala reported his daughter missing at the lifeguard tower. After an extensive search, she was located nearly two kilometres from the tower and reunited with her father.
There were three rescue incidents also reported over the weekend. There was a triple rescue incident at Palolem beach, where three women from Karnataka, all college students aged 20, were caught in a rip current and dragged underwater. Lifesaver Amol Paigunkar rescued two with a surfboard and the other by lifesaver Parshuram Tari with a jet ski. They were taken via ambulance to a local hospital and later discharged.
A 29-year-old man from Karnataka faced a leak in his kayak at Palolem beach and in panic, gestured to the lifesaver for aid. Lifesaver Parshuram Tari rushed to the kayaker’s aid with a jet ski and brought him to shore.
At Dudhsagar, a man from Hyderabad and his three-year-old daughter slipped from a rocky area and fell into the water, after which the child began drowning as she was not outfitted in a lifejacket. Lifesaver Vithal Masurkar immediately jumped into the water and brought her to safety. The father, who wore a lifejacket, managed to save himself.
There were also three incidents of administration of first aid reported. A 19-year-old teenager from Kudal faced breathing difficulties after a person jumped on her chest while swimming off Mandrem beach. She was administered oxygen and was shifted to the hospital via a private vehicle as the ambulance services were busy.
Shashikant Jadhav, Drishti Marine lifesaver and operations manager of North and South sector was bitten by a stray dog on Mandrem beach while patrolling the beach on an e-cycle. He went to the hospital for the necessary injections.
A man from Mangalore hit his head on a stationary boat while swimming and sustained a minor head injury. He was administered first aid after coming to the lifeguard tower.
