A lifeguard would have saved them, said Antonis Gavalas, the father who rushed to help two women drowning off the Oroklini coast. Gavalas was navigating an inflatable boat with his six-year-old son when he noticed trouble in the water. The absence of a lifeguard at the beach, he believes, directly contributed to the tragic outcome.
On Thursday evening, just after 19:00, a group of five Somali friends ventured into the sea near a hotel along the Oroklini shoreline. Two of the women drifted towards the breakwaters and were quickly caught in strong currents. Their friends called for help as the situation escalated.
Gavalas immediately responded to the emergency. He took a man who could not swim onto his inflatable boat, leaving both the man and his son on the breakwater. He then paddled out to where the women were struggling. Gavalas found the first woman trapped between the breakwaters and managed to carry her to safety on the rocks.
He then returned to the water, locating the second woman in the centre of the breakwaters. With the help of the other man, they brought her to the same rocky area. Despite their efforts, both women were pulled unconscious from the water when the Coast Guard arrived. A vessel from the Coast Guard could not approach the rocks, leading to a delay in assistance.
The tragic incident prompted the activation of the national search and rescue plan NEARHOS, involving Coast Guard and Marine Police speedboats, a helicopter from the National Guard’s 460 MED unit, and rescue teams from Larnaca Airport and the Larnaca Lifesaving Club. Two ambulances were also dispatched to the scene.
Both women were later taken to Larnaca General Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The victims, both aged 20, were Somali nationals residing and working in Cyprus. Eyewitness accounts reveal that they had entered the water fully clothed, as they adhered to their Muslim faith. According to one father who witnessed the events, he saw one of the women raise her hand before alerting others and calling emergency services.
Gavalas emphasised the importance of having lifeguards on duty, particularly at beaches with hazardous conditions like breakwaters. The lifeguard tower at Oroklini is scheduled to be staffed starting July 1, a change that Gavalas hopes will prevent future tragedies. “Breakwaters and lifeguards go together,” he stated, underscoring his belief that the presence of a lifeguard could have made a critical difference in this situation.
As the community mourns the loss of the two young women, the exact cause of their deaths will be determined by post-mortem examinations. The incident has sparked conversations about beach safety protocols and the vital role of lifeguards in ensuring public safety.
