Alex Trelinski
TWO German tourists were rescued by a police officer who swam against dangerous currents at the Fuentes del Algar waterfalls on the Costa Blanca.
The Fuentes del Algar is a popular tourist spot 15 kilometres inland from Benidorm.
It’s a mixture of waterfalls and pools that spout out from a serious of underground caves.
The men, 22 and 24, got trapped in a deep area of the Fuentes which is not safe for swimming.
Emergency services were called last Friday(August 6) at 8.00 pm after two Canadian and German families reported them as as missing,
Callosa d’en Sarria Policia Local officers were first on the scene.
They were worried that specialist Guardia Civil divers from Altea might not arrive in time to save the men.
One of the officers launched his own rescue bid by swimming against the current to reach the trapped men.
Speaking to the Informacion newspaper, the brave officer, named as Ethan, said: “ It took 40 minutes and there was a moment that I thought I would lose my life.”
As Ethan started to weaken, he spotted the men clinging to a rock and a branch to avoid being swept away by the current.
He was able to drag them to safety, one-by-one.
“There were moments of euphoria because they were already suffering from fatigue,“ added Nathan.
He told Informacion that he had never been in such a dangerous situation during his 18 years of service despite being in serious situations like fires.
He also praised his rookie partner, Fernando, who only joined the force three weeks earlier, for keeping the men’s family calm and stopping them from going in after them.
The rescued men were in good health, despite showing some signs of hypothermia and being disorientated.
