A 12-year-old boy died on Friday after an apparent drowning while in the water at Las Alcaravaneras Beach in Gran Canaria. He was pulled from the sea by an 18-year-old bystander who, along with Red Cross rescuers, found him in cardiorespiratory arrest. Despite nearly an hour of intensive resuscitation, the boy was pronounced dead.
The incident unfolded around seven o’clock in the evening. The boy, who held Spanish nationality and Saharawi descent, was with a group of friends when he entered the water. Witnesses said he did not know how to swim. A few minutes later, his friends realized he was missing in the waves. Another child in the group alerted adults to the situation when the body was spotted beneath the surface.
In a courageous act, an 18-year-old Saharawi woman named Kamal rushed into the sea with her clothes still on in an attempt to help. Rescue teams quickly arrived on scene as operations began to stabilize the situation. The body was retrieved from the water while the victim was in cardiorespiratory arrest, and lifesaving measures were started immediately by rescuers and medical personnel.
Emergency responders from the Canary Emergency Service (SUC) arrived with three ambulances and began resuscitation efforts both at the water’s edge and in the vicinity. The attempt to revive the boy lasted nearly an hour and included basic and advanced life support measures, but the attempts were unable to restore vital signs, and death was confirmed at 7:40 PM.
Police units from multiple agencies, including the National Police, Civil Guard, and Port Police, joined the response to coordinate the necessary actions. The first responders provided instructions to onlookers and assisted with securing the scene as authorities conducted their procedures.
The boy was identified as a Spanish national of Saharan descent. As relatives arrived and learned of the news, there were moments of sorrow and grief at the site of the incident.