PANAJI
Goa Tourism’s beach safety agency Drishti came to the rescue of dozens of tourists in distress in waters along its beaches over the long weekend.
A statement issued by the agency said, as many as 69 persons were rescued, adding that most of the tourists rescued were on Dussehra day.
Long weekends witness tourists from other Indian States flocking to Goa, mostly to soak in the sun and take a dip in the sea on the several beaches dotting its 105-kilometer long coastline.
Many of the States where the tourists hail from are landlocked and they are unaccustomed to the vagaries of the sea, making the beach excursions dangerous and unsafe.
Over the years, beach safety has seen a steady improvement on Goa’s beaches with the introduction of the service outsourced by Goa Tourism through Drishti and the number of drowning deaths too have significantly dropped.
Drishti’s Monday statement said: “The long weekend witnessed 69 rescues along the coast by Drishti’s lifesavers posted along the beaches of Goa with 35 rescues on Friday which was Dussehra, 19 on Saturday, followed by 15 on Sunday.”
The rise in distress situations in waters on Goa’s beaches is understandable as the restrictions imposed on swimming at beaches which are imposed during the monsoon have been lifted recently.
Calangute and Baga in North Goa accounted for most of the cases.
