Heroic Beachgoers Form Human Chain To Rescue Woman

This is the moment a group of beachgoers forms a human chain to pull a woman from the sea after she is swept away by a powerful wave.

The rescue took place at Riazor Beach in A Coruna, in Spain’s north-western Galicia region, on 25 October.

The woman had been reading near the water when a wave dragged her out to sea, leaving her unable to return to shore by herself.

Around 1.45pm, emergency services received a call reporting that she was struggling in the water.

Footage filmed by witnesses shows a man initially trying to reach her, but the force of the waves prevents him from getting hold of her.

Five people then begin forming a human chain, with others joining them until around ten beachgoers are involved in the rescue.

Working together, they reach the woman, grab her by the arms and pull her towards the sand as she struggles to get back to shore under her own strength.

Once she was out of the water, the woman received assistance while emergency services were called to the scene.

Paramedics from the 061 emergency service and local police attended the beach, and she was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital Complex of A Coruña.

According to Spanish media reports, the woman, who is Colombian, was treated for mild hypothermia.

In an interview with local media, she admitted that she had not understood the dangers posed by the tides.

She said: “I feel ashamed about what happened, but I didn’t know this could happen to me. I couldn’t even imagine it.”

The rescue took place as a yellow weather warning for coastal conditions was in force along the coast of A Coruna province.

Spain’s state meteorological agency AEMET had forecast combined north-westerly seas with waves exceeding four metres (13 feet) from 2pm.

The warning remained in place until midnight, with the nearby coast also affected by the adverse conditions.