The body found floating on Saturday afternoon at Praia da Maiata, in Porto da Cruz, belongs to a 44-year-old man of Irish nationality.
Speaking to DIÁRIO, Bruno Teles, commander of the Madeira Maritime Zone, explained that the man had tried to enter the sea to help a 14-year-old girl. “However, the teenager was pulled from the water with the help of a buoy, presumably by members of the public.”
It states that at 2:55 PM the Funchal Port Authority received a call from the Regional Civil Protection Service reporting that two people were in difficulty at sea in the Maiata area. Emergency resources were immediately activated: “In this case, being closer, a vessel with crew from SANAS was activated, which, upon arriving at the scene, found the victim in the water and not moving. They removed the man from the water, performed Basic Life Support and recovery maneuvers, but unfortunately were unable to reverse the situation.”
The body was transferred to the Santa Cruz Lifesaving Station where the death was declared by the health delegate.
“Subject to confirmation, everything leads us to believe” that it is a father and daughter, reports the commander of the Madeira Maritime Zone.
Captain Bruno Teles also makes an appeal for caution at sea at this time of year. “We are entering the winter season, the sea has a lot of energy and it is very important that people are careful near the coastline.”
As reported, the female victim was rescued by the Machico Municipal Fire Department and transported to Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital.