A lifeguard and a doughnut seller have been hailed heroes after jumping into the sea to rescue a 10-year-old Spanish girl who got caught in a rip current near the breakwater at Ilha de Tavira on Monday morning (August 22).
The duo reacted quickly when they saw that the tide was dragging the child towards the rocks.
According to the Safeplace52 blog, the two men jumped into the water and used their bodies as shields to prevent the child from hitting the rocks.
Eventually they were able to get the girl out of the water, all sustaining injuries.
The child and the doughnut seller, the island’s famous ‘Marinho das Bolas’, were treated on the spot, while lifeguard Décio Pessoa had to be taken to Faro Hospital.
The girl was then reunited with her father.
The dangers of rip currents had been highlighted by maritime authorities in the Algarve just days before this incident occurred (click here).
