Simon Hunter
A 30-year-old woman was rescued in the early hours of Monday from the sea off the coast of Barcelona, after she was swept out by strong currents while enjoying a Sunday-night dip. The woman had spent more than six hours in the water before being spotted by a cargo ship.
The alarm was raised by other bathers, Spanish daily El País reported, after the woman left her belongings and dog on the beach to go for a swim and failed to return.
Regional and local police, the fire service and ambulance crews were all mobilised, according to a message posted on Twitter by Spain’s Maritime Rescue service. The search continued until 2am but was then suspended until the next day.
At 4am local time the woman managed to swim toward the cargo ship Medi Sidney, and alert the crew to her presence. She was more than seven kilometres off the coast at the time of her rescue by the vessel’s personnel, who threw her a lifebuoy.
She was discharged from hospital on Monday morning with no signs of hypothermia, according to El País.
“Finally, a vessel located the bather at 4am in the Barcelona anchorage, they threw her a lifebuoy and they rescued her. Then she was taken to the Prácticos ship which took her to land, where she was given medical treatment.”
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