Lucky escape for lifeguard on Costa del Sol beach after watchtower collapse

A lifeguard on the Ferrara beach in Torrox on Tuesday a lucky escape after the watchtower he was standing on broke at the base, for reasons which are being investigated. He fell to the ground from a height of around three metres and was left lying on the ground, unconsciouos. Dozens of bathers came to his rescue after hearing the crash. The emergency medical services and Local Police were also quickly mobilised.

The young man, aged 18, and complaining of cervical pain, was transferred to the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquía, where he underwent numerous diagnostic tests to rule out any possible internal injuries. However, he had no serious injuries from the heavy blow when he hit the ground, except for an arm injury as a result of the effort he made to try to hold onto the structure as he fell.

The lifeguard is now recovering at home, recovering from the shock of the fall.

Municipal sources have told SUR that they have given orders to close all the watchtowers on the coastline until they are checked by their technicians. SUR has learnt that the young man had claimed in recent days that the wooden structure, located next to the promenade, "creaked every time he climbed up and was at the top".

The PSOE opposition party in Torrox said in a statement it "deeply regretted the incident that happened on the Ferrara beach, where a watchtower fell with the lifeguard who was on duty at the. It added, "the PP localgovernment and the mayor Óscar Medina will have to give explanations and show the technical report of the last time that all the watchtowers on our beaches were reviewed."

Tuesday's event in Torrox was similar to the one that happened in July 2016 in Nerja. Then it was on the Burriana beach, where a lifeguard hired by the town hall, Juan Castillo, was slightly bruised after the wooden turret he was on broke due to its poor state of repair.