A beachboy trio is being hailed as heroes after rescuing two young girls from drowning in Odeceixe yesterday morning.
CMTV has carried a report in which bodyboarder Carlos Camacho explained: “If we hadn’t been there to help, it would have been tragic.”
The rescue on a beach with no lifeguards on duty any more highlights the insecurity of swimming out of season, he added.
Yesterday’s incident happened almost as soon as the 10 and 12-year-old girls entered the water.
The children got “caught up in the tide”, panicked and started screaming for help.
Surf instructor João Serafim was the first to throw himself into the water, followed by colleague Rogério Amado and Camacho.
The trio got the terrified girls safely back to shore, and stressed this was a clear reason to extend life-guard supervision, particularly on the wild west coast.
“It’s a shame our country is focused on tourism, but authorities aren’t careful enough to extend the lifeguard season at the main beaches, at least,” said Amado.
The CMTV report did not elaborate on whether the children were local or foreigners, or whether they were accompanied by an adult.
