PANAJI
Eight persons were lucky to get a fresh lease of life on the last day of the year, when they were rescued by lifeguards in five different incidents across the State on Thursday.
At Palolem beach, a large group of people were swimming and a 29-year-old woman from Delhi and two men, aged 27 and 31, one from Haryana and the other from Kolkata, got caught in a rip current.
They struggled to swim ashore and Drishti lifesavers Suraj Mehta and Manjunath Pagi noticed the trio and rushed to the spot along with rescue equipment, bringing them back to safety.
In another incident, a Goan family of four were bathing at the Galgibaga river despite warnings from Drishti lifesaver Praveen Sagekar.
After a while, a 50-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy were in distress after being caught in a rip current. Drishti lifesaver Praveen rushed to the victims and secured them using a rescue tube, bringing them back to safety.
At Varca beach, a family from Uttar Pradesh entered the waters and among them was a 38-year-old woman who drifted deeper into the sea and was caught in a rip current.
Drishti lifesaver Santosh Raiker noticed the victim in danger and rushed to her aid. The tourist was secured with a rescue tube and brought back to safety.
Two women were also rescued in separate incidents at Ashvem and Patnem beaches.
