456 rescues, 4 tourist drownings in 2022 in Goa

PANAJI: During 2022, Goa saw four tourist drownings—one each at Ashwem, Calangute, Agonda and Zalor. The victims were all under 40 years of age. However, Drishti Marine, the state appointed life guarding agency rescued 456 people.
All beaches have ‘No swim zones’ signboards and visitors are advised not to venture into the sea in a drunken state. If spotted in no swim zones, lifeguards ask people to get out of the water immediately, a Drishti Marine official said.
Navin Awasthi, operations head of Drishti Marine, said, “The highest number of individuals involved in beach-related incidents were in the age group of 26 to 35 years, accounting for 153 rescues.” Those rescued also include foreigners.
Usually, Goa sees a rise in footfalls from October onwards. In 2022, as many as 118 people were rescued that month, followed by 67 in December and 63 in May.
Awasthi said their teams, being the first responder to any medical emergencies on the beach, attended to 122 people who required immediate attention and were then shifted to the nearest medical facility. Also, 40 were given first aid.
In 2022, life savers attended to 109 complaints of children going missing on the beach while with their parents. All the children were found and reunited with their families, Awasthi said.
Sometimes, children wander from the spot their parents left them at, or where they were asked to sit while they (parents) go for a swim. Sometimes, children get lost on the beach when the crowd is big. With Calangute receiving the largest footfalls, 162 incidents of missing children were reported there, and 109 at Baga beach. Since 2008, Drishti Marine has been involved in beach lifeguarding in Goa, and has largely helped to curtail drownings.