The red flag has been raised on this second day, and the same will probable apply tomorrow, as ex hurricane Erin passes causing the South West swell. Mainland Portugal, is getting it a lot worse also.
A 50-year-old foreign man was found unresponsive on Praia Formosa this afternoon. Despite efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and arrived at Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital in a cadaveric state.
Speaking to DIÁRIO, the Port Captain of Funchal, Bruno Ferreira Teles, said that the Funchal Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Sub-Centre (MRSC Funchal) received, at 5:44 pm, a telephone call from the Regional Civil Protection Service informing that “a bather was lying face down, unconscious in the water at Praia Formosa”.
A boat from the Funchal Lifeguard Station was immediately deployed, and upon arrival, it found four people in the water: “The victim, two lifeguards from Praia Formosa and a lifeguard from the National Maritime Authority’s Sea Watch Project. The victim and the lifeguard from the Sea Watch Project boarded the boat and were taken to Pier 8, in the Port of Funchal.”
He clarifies that the victim, however, received basic life support (BLS) on board the boat and, upon arrival at Pier 8, was waiting for an ambulance from the Madeiran Volunteer Fire Department, which continued the BLS. “The victim did not emerge dead at Pier 8,” he assured.