Team Herald
MARGAO/CALANGUTE: The busy coast of State witnessed multiple rescue operations over the weekend, three of which involved kayaking in the open sea at Palolem, Agonda and Calangute.
The Calangute Beach which is packed with beachgoers despite the COVID-19 pandemic saw a quadruple rescue operation and a serious case of a jellyfish sting, where the victim has to be rushed for medical aid.
In an incident over the weekend, a couple who were kayaking in the open sea at Palolem on Sunday morning, were knocked over by the waves and lost their kayak in the sea.
The lady panicked and gestured for help. Drishti lifeguard Ramesh Velip, who was on duty, rushed to the couple’s help and brought them to the shore with the help of Jetski.
On Monday, in a similar incident, a 40-year-old male was rescued when his kayak overturned at Palolem. Lifeguard Laxmikant Sagekar rescued the victim with the help of Jetski.
Agonda too witnessed a kayak-related incident when a 30-year-old tourist, who was kayaking in the sea, was knocked over by the waves and was rescued by lifeguard Bhikash Velip. All the three victims of kayak related incidents are safe.
The lifeguards advised them on the dangers of kayaking in the open sea without the experienced personnel to guide them.
Meanwhile, Drishti lifeguards rescued four tourists from Maharashtra and Hyderabad from drowning at Calangute Beach.
According to information obtained, a group of 12 tourists had entered the waters for a swim at the Calangute Beach on Sunday, despite several warnings by the lifeguards patrolling the area. Among them, two tourists from Maharashtra and two from Hyderabad got caught by a rip current and were dragged deeper into the sea. Noticing the tourists in distress, lifeguards Leslie Rodrigues and Siddesh Bhosle alerted the other comrades Netaji Nair and Sangharsh Asolkar, who rushed to help the victims and secured each of them on the rescue boards, bringing them to safety.
Calangute also witnessed cases of jellyfish sting. In one such case, a lady who was stung by a jellyfish, experienced breathing difficulty, pain in her chest and also found losing consciousness. Immediately, oxygen was administered to stabilise the lady and an ambulance was called-for. As the ambulance was unavailable, the lifeguards rushed the lady to the primary health centre at Candolim.
