On the beach in Barcelona, a woman climbs into the water to cool off. But the swimmer underestimated the strong current. Hours later, a freighter accidentally becomes aware of the distressed ship.
A woman was rescued in Spain at night after about eight hours in the open sea by the crew of a cargo ship. The 29-year-old was taken out of the water around 4 a.m. almost four kilometers off the coast of Barcelona, the sea rescue service said. She swam to the ship and called loudly for help, it said. The crew threw her a lifebelt and then brought her on board. The woman is fine. After a brief examination, she was discharged from the hospital.
The authorities were alerted by a bather on Sunday evening. The man said a woman near him went into the water at Sant Miquel beach in Barcelona around 8pm and still hasn't returned after more than an hour. The police, the fire brigade and the sea rescue service then immediately started the search with ships and a helicopter. But this was unsuccessful and, according to official information, was temporarily stopped around 2 a.m. However, before the planned resumption at dawn, the rescue was carried out by the cargo ship.
When she went swimming, the woman left her cell phone and dog on the beach, among other things, according to media reports. As the state television broadcaster RTVE reported, citing the authorities, the woman said after the rescue that she had been carried into the open sea by the current. It was said that she had to be a very good swimmer to last so long. The woman did not have a swimming aid.
"She was not wearing a vest or a rubber suit, just a two-piece swimsuit," said Gerardo Gante, head of Barcelona's sea rescue service. The water of the Mediterranean Sea, which is currently around 30 degrees, probably helped her to survive.
