A 38-year-old tourist was dragged into the sea by a wave at Praia do Galo, in Caniço de Baixo. Reports state that he was standing on a rock trying to take a selfie, despite the danger.
The Hotel Galo lifeguard raised the alarm as the sea conditions were so bad that he was unable to rescue him. The rescue was subsequently carried out by SANAS-Madeira.
The tourist had deep cuts on his arms and in his legs Once brought ashore he was transported to the Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital by ambulance.
This was after the authorities had issued warnings about the dangers of being near the coast between Caniço and Santa Cruz.
“In response to the forecasts of worsening of the state of the sea for the next few hours, the points that offer the greatest risk on the coast of the Municipality of Santa Cruz are being monitored by the municipality’s Firefighters together with SANAS.
The measure, which has been implemented for some time, whenever adverse weather conditions occur, seeks to prevent risky behaviours by people who choose to approach the coastline to watch and take selfies of themselves against the backdrop of the waves, unaware of the risk to themselves and emergency service personnel should the need arise.
The President of the Civil Protection Service of Santa Cruz, Leonardo Pereira, explained to JM that the risk places, identified between the head of the runway at Madeira Airport and Cristo Rei, in Caniço, were taped off to warn citizens of the risks they incur.
In addition, SANAS is carrying out, every two hours, a patrol by sea to detect anyone disobeying the no-entry signs.
If the instructions of the lifeguards are not followed, the situation is communicated to the fire brigade, whose mission is to remove those who disobey current regulations.”
