PANAJI: Drishti Marine lifesavers carried out multiple rescue and assistance operations across Goa’s beaches on New Year’s Day as heavy crowds marked year-end celebrations, rescuing four persons from drowning situations and tracing four missing children.
At Arambol, a 19-year-old woman from Maharashtra was rescued after she ran into difficulty while swimming in the sweet-water lake adjoining the beach. At Baga, two male tourists in their early-to-mid 20s from Karnataka were saved after struggling in the sea, while a 20-year-old tourist from Bihar was rescued in a separate incident after being unable to swim back to shore.
Several missing children were also traced during the day. An eight-year-old girl from Lucknow, reported missing at Baga beach, was found at another stretch of the beach and reunited with her guardians after verification. At Betalbatim, a four-year-old child was traced within about 30 minutes following a coordinated search operation and safely handed over to her parents.
At Colva, a four-year-old boy from Margao found wandering alone during routine patrolling was reunited with his family after officials traced his parents. At Varca, a seven-year-old girl from Karnataka, found crying alone on the beach, was later handed over to a relative after police verification.
Lifesavers also provided medical assistance to injured beachgoers. At Mobor beach, a 53-year-old British tourist suffered a stingray sting while swimming and was administered first aid before being shifted by 108 emergency services for further treatment. At Palolem, a 10-year-old boy from Pune sustained a deep cut on his leg after stepping on broken glass while swimming; he was stabilised with first aid and handed over to his father.
