A 77-year-old man has died after getting into difficulty while swimming off a beach in Murcia.
The tragedy unfolded shortly after 1pm on Sunday at El Rihuete beach in Mazarron.
According to witnesses, fellow bathers were forced to pull the man from the sea themselves because no lifeguard service was operating at the beach.
By the time he was brought ashore, the pensioner was unconscious.
Several beachgoers immediately began performing CPR while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Police officers, Civil Protection volunteers and paramedics from the 061 emergency service rushed to the scene, but despite efforts to save him, the man was pronounced dead at the beach.
Emergency crews also treated a 69-year-old woman who suffered an anxiety attack after witnessing the incident.
The Guardia Civil has launched an investigation, although initial indications suggest the swimmer may have suffered a medical episode before losing consciousness in the water.
The death has reignited concerns over the lack of lifeguards on some Spanish beaches despite soaring temperatures and increasing numbers of visitors.
One witness who was present during the emergency described the situation as ‘a disgrace’.
‘The sad thing, apart from not having lifeguards at this time of year, is that a young man had to fight to get 112 to send an ambulance,’ he said.
‘And luckily, one of the bathers happened to be a doctor.’
It follows a deadly week on beaches in southern Spain, including the deaths of a 12-year-old girl in Almeria and a 29-year-old man in Murcia.
