Laurence Dollimore
A SPANISH policeman has been hailed a hero after diving into rough waters to save migrants.
Isaac Sepulveda was in a patrol car when he saw the small boat get into trouble off the coast of Ceuta, Spain’s territory in Morocco.
The boat carrying eight people became englufed by waves and capsized.
Sepulveda had called for back up but refused to wait, diving into the water to help.
CCTV footage captured the entire rescue.
Aunque algunos sigan sin querer verlo muchos guardias civiles se juegan la vida cada día para impedir que el drama de las personas que llegan a nuestras costas acabe en tragedia
Ayer salvaron a 8 personas en plena tempestad en #Ceuta…sois grandes ??? pic.twitter.com/64t8Eaz7Ru
— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) April 12, 2018
“Everything happened really fast, I’d called for backup, but when I reached the headland, the boat was already close to shore,” he said afterwards.
“It wasn’t going well because of the rough seas and then I saw the boat overturn and everyone tipped into the sea.
“The waves swept several of the people to the shore but I saw that two women were left behind and were struggling. I had to make a quick decision, so I threw myself into the sea.
“I saw that I had the opportunity to save a life and I thought, in my job I just can’t watch as someone dies. It would have stayed with me my whole life.”
Five members made it to the shore on their own while the remaining three were helped by Sepúlveda and his colleagues.
