By CECÍLIA PIRES
THREE Dutch tourists had to be rescued from the sea yesterday (Thursday, October 25) at Praia da Ponte Ruíva, a beach with no life guards located between Sagres and Cape São Vicente and very popular amongst surfers.
The incident was reported by a surf teacher to a Portuguese daily newspaper, ,i>Correio da Manhã (CM), who said the strong currents were dragging out the group when local surfers saved them.
The Ponta Ruíva beach is very close to the Tonel beach, where three Britons and a German died on Monday while trying to save their three children.
According to Luis Sousa, the surf instructor quoted by the CM who helped in the rescue, the swimmers were two girls, aged 16 and 18, and a boy of 15.
“They were already several metres away from the beach and were trying to swim against the current to return,” he said.
He added that the group was swimming close to the rocks when they were caught by the strong tides. Family and friends at the beach started to call and scream for them in panic.
“It was all very quick, I jumped immediately into the water and kept two of them in my board while waiting for my friends help for the other swimmer.”
The Resident contacted the local authorities, who said they had received no reports about an incident at Ponta Ruíva beach. The local Bombeiros were not called to the scene and there were no registrations at the Vila do Bispo health centre.
The Lagos Capitania, the maritime police authority in the area, confirmed to The Resident that no incident was reported yesterday to their patrols related to the Ponta Ruíva beach or any tourists in danger of drowning.
The Ponta Ruíva beach is not guarded by any concession service and the majority of its users are surfers, although the beauty of the place attracts more and more tourists each year.
Luis Sousa told the CM that safety signs about the dangerous tides should be placed in the paths leading that beach.
Meanwhile, Dean Plumb, one of the survivors of Monday’s tragedy, was transported to the Portimão Hospital and is being kept under observation as a precautionary measure.
The Instituto de Medicina Legal, the national division of forensic and legal medicine, has already concluded the autopsies of the remaining victims. The bodies were delivered to the families and formalities are being followed so that they return to their home countries as soon as possible.
* Meanwhile, and despite several reports saying that Portuguese authorities were to act against members of the group for negligence, the maritime commander in the region said: “There’s no intention of starting legal procedures as a result of possible negligence against the families of the children.”
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