A 65 year old woman drowned at Ferrara Playa in Torrox Costa on Tuesday, bringing the total number of drownings in Malaga province so far this year to nine.
The woman’s body was discovered floating about twenty metres from shore and efforts were made to revive her but all to no avail.
The incident occurred at around 12:30 and it is thought that she may have suffered some sort of heart attack or perhaps fainted while swimming. Although she was quickly retrieved from the water, there was nothing anyone could do for her.
There was a yellow ‘caution’ flag flying at the time of the incident due to an easterly wind and an increased swell.
The police managed to locate the belongings of the woman, which was about 300 metres from where her body was found, and this enabled them to identify the victim.
This is the second drowning this summer in Torrox Costa, the first resulting in the tragic death of a five year old boy on July 23rd.
Some swimmers have apparently complained about the limited presence of lifeguards on this section of the beach and the excessive distance between watchtowers. The Councillor for Civil Protection, Manuel Martín (PP), expressed his regret over the incident and added that there were seven towers along the coastline with 45 lifeguards and rescue personnel under contract.