In 2023, the Porto Moniz Lifeguard Station recorded 18 incidents of people falling or being dragged into the sea. From this number, 4 people died, with the main cause of accident – being ‘death by selfie.’ As people ignored warning and no-entry signs to capture that perfect in in some cases last picture.
According to the data, there were 14 survivors, 8 of whom were rescued by the lifeboat assigned to the Station, the ‘Atlantic 1’. In turn, the remaining 6 people managed to crawl back to shore or were assisted to shore by other bathers.
In addition, two people risked their lives to ensure the safety of another person.
According to the Operational Commander of the Lifeguard Station, Ângelo Abreu, they are seriously concerned that foreigners and other beach users do not adhere to safety notices on days when ‘coastal alerts’ are in force.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
