The government of the province of Valencia in eastern Spain has developed a new rescue system for drowning: the use of drones.
A revolution that saved the life of a teenager in early July.
The 14-year-old found himself struggling in the water off a beach in Sagunto, BFMTV reports.
Due to the tide and the powerful waves, he was unable to return to dry land.
As he was about to drown, and awaiting the arrival of help, a life jacket was sent to him by a drone.
This allowed him to stay out of the water as long as possible.
Un dron salva la vida a dos bañistas en la playa de Sagunto pic.twitter.com/KuxT3elqWI
— EL MUNDO (@elmundoes) July 4, 2022
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He returned home safe and sound
This rescue device was set up by the company General Drones, which the provincial government has mandated to provide aid to rescuers on several beaches.
“When we arrived we saw a child in very poor condition,” the drone pilot told
Reuters
.
That day, the strong waves did not make it easy for him.
"But we finally managed to get him the life jacket and he was able to float until the rescuers reached him on the Jet-ski," he added.
The teenager was then taken care of by the emergency services and placed on oxygen in a hospital.
He returned home the day after the events without any sequelae.
Drownings are a real issue in Spain.
In 2022, already 218 fatal drownings took place according to RTVE
.
That is a figure up by more than 60% in one year at the same time.
In June 2022 alone, 57 people lost their lives by drowning, 24 of them in the Valencia region, reports
La Razon
.
That's why the local government decided to partner with General Drones.
The company has designed an aerodrone that can take off in less than five seconds and travel 24 m/second.
Twenty municipalities are already equipped with this device which has already saved at least six people.
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