A British teenager has been rushed to hospital in a “critical” condition after pulled out of the sea at a Costa resort as she came close to drowning. The 14-year-old, who was on a school trip, was dragged away from the coastline by a wave and strong currents during the drama at Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava on Saturday.
Police officers jumped into the water to save her and emergency responders practiced life-saving CPR on her on the beach for more than half an hour after discovering she had gone into cardiac arrest. She was said to be “critical” after being revived and stabilised at the scene before being rushed to an intensive care unit at Josep Trueta Hospital in the Catalan city of Girona.
There has not yet been any update on her condition.
Footage from the scene showed a man believed to be a local police officer who risked his life jumping into the sea to save her being comforted by colleagues after his life-saving feat.
He dropped to the sand looking very emotional before being led away.
Firefighters are also said to have gone into the water to help him pull the girl out. One of the rescuers had to be treated for hypothermia.
Another video published by Spanish media showed paramedics and police gathered around the youngster on the sand as they performed CPR on her.
One of the police officers appeared to be holding a drip.
The emergency responders were later seen taking the British youngster away on a stretcher as bystanders looked on.
The area had been cordoned off with police tape, which was removed as the ambulance took her away.
The teenager was part of a group staying at a four-star hotel in Lloret called Maria del Mar Hotel.
The alert was sounded around 11.30am on Saturday.
Witness Carme Rigart said: “I was able to see the whole scene from the balcony of my flat opposite the beach. Very good work by the local police, fire brigade, the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police and, above all, Civil Protection workers.
“They managed to rescue the young girl and performed CPR, which saved her life. Hopefully, she will not suffer any lasting effects.”
Another witness, Cintiha Schenfeld, added: “I was there, and the police were among the first to arrive.
“They did not allow anyone else to enter the water because there were already two officers in, and until the fire brigade arrived with the appropriate equipment, no one else was allowed in.”
