At the Grandes Playas within the municipal area La Oliva a 61-year-old man showing severe signs of drowning was rescued from the sea on 13 September 2026. According to the Centro Coordinador de Emergencias y Seguridad, or CECOES 112, beach lifeguards alerted the control centre at around 10:48 after the lifeguards had pulled the man from the water and given him first aid.
CECOES 112 classified the call and passed it on to the relevant services. In the medical response, the coordinator of the Servicio de Urgencias Canario (SUC), based on the situation described, to dispatch an intensive-care-equipped emergency ambulance (ambulancia medicalizada) as well as a basic life support vehicle; the SUC resource manager handled the dispatch. The medical team that arrived took over care of the patient, who, according to the incident report, showed symptoms of severe drowning, stabilised him at the scene and prepared him for transport. The man was then taken in the ambulancia medicalizada to the Hospital General de Fuerteventura .
In parallel, the emergency coordination centre activated the security sector. The Policía Local supported the rescue team, controlled access to the scene and helped secure the area, allowing the handover from the beach to the emergency services to take place without delay. The statement gave no information about the cause of the incident. Initially, no further information was available about the patient’s condition after admission.
The incident illustrates the division of responsibilities between beach patrols, the emergency coordination centre and the emergency medical service: lifeguards provide initial assistance and trigger the alert chain through CECOES 112; the centre brings together situation assessment, resource coordination and liaison between health and security services. The SUC ensures medical care with different types of vehicle, from basic life support to the ambulancia medicalizada, and arranges transport to the nearest suitable hospital.
The Grandes Playas beach area is among the busy stretches of coastline in northern Fuerteventura; qualified lifeguards are generally on duty there to bridge the time until emergency services arrive. The incident was documented in the “Incidentes 112” section of the Gobierno de Canarias; the publication gave no details beyond the immediate rescue and transport operation.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).