Swimmer dies at La Escalera beach after extensive rescue operation

Two people were in distress; one managed to get out of the water on his own, while the other died after being rescued by the GES helicopter.

Incident Overview

A swimmer died on Thursday after being rescued from the sea at Playa del Águila in El Cotillo, La Oliva municipality. The emergency was reported to the Canary Islands Government’s 112 Coordination Center (CECOES) and the local police at around 17:20 h, when two people were reported in trouble in the water.

• One of the victims managed to exit the sea and, after receiving care from the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC), refused transport to a medical facility.
• The second victim was located and extracted from the water by rescuers from the Grupo de Emergencias y Salvamento (GES) helicopter.

Rescue Operations

The emergency response involved a coordinated effort from multiple agencies:

• Local police (Policía Local de La Oliva) – announced the operation on social media and dispatched a patrol to the scene.
• Red Cross
• La Oliva Firefighters
• Municipal lifeguard team (Ayuntamiento de La Oliva)
• Civil Protection
• Canary Health Service personnel
• Guardia Civil
• GES helicopter
• Medicalized SUC helicopter (arrived later)

“The emergency service was carried out at Playa de Las Escaleras, also known as La Escalera, with all units already activated and working in a coordinated manner,” the local police reported.

After the rescue, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated immediately. According to 112, the victim was in cardiac‑respiratory arrest when lifted onto the helicopter, so rescuers continued CPR during the aerial transport to a nearby area. Once on land, SUC personnel—arriving by ambulance and medicalized helicopter—along with the local doctor and nurse from El Cotillo, continued the resuscitation efforts.

Outcome

The local police indicated that the resuscitation attempts lasted more than an hour, involving all the responding resources. Despite the extensive coordination, the swimmer was later confirmed dead.

Additional agencies that took part in the operation included:

• Maritime Rescue Service (Salvamento Marítimo)
• La Oliva Fire and Rescue Service (Servicio de Extinción y Salvamento)
• Fuerteventura Island Council’s Prevention, Fire Extinction and Rescue Service (Servicio de Prevención, Extinción de Incendios y Salvamento)
• Beach Rescue Service of the La Oliva City Council (Servicio de Salvamento en Playas)

The Guardia Civil is now conducting the corresponding investigations.