Two young bathers drown at Els Vivers beach in Alicante under red flag warning

Emergency response in Guardamar del Segura

Two young people died after drowning off the coast of Guardamar del Segura, a municipality located in the province of Alicante, on Saturday, 3 October 2026. The fatal event took place at Els Vivers beach, where both victims were in the water during the early afternoon. Regional emergency authorities at the Emergency Information and Coordination Centre (CICU) confirmed that the first emergency call alerting services to the situation arrived at 14:11 on Saturday. Following the distress report, emergency coordinators dispatched two mobile emergency assistance units (SAMU) together with a Basic Life Support (SVB) ambulance team to the scene. Local police units and emergency healthcare teams quickly mobilized to the coastal location to assist the bathers.

Resuscitation attempts at Els Vivers beach

Emergency responders and rescue personnel pulled both young bathers from the water and brought them onto the shore at Els Vivers beach. Upon reaching the two individuals, healthcare professionals from the deployed SAMU and SVB teams immediately initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers. The medical teams performed extensive resuscitation efforts on the sand in an attempt to restore vital signs to both victims. In spite of the rapid deployment and sustained medical intervention by the emergency crews, neither bather responded to the resuscitation techniques. Healthcare professionals and police authorities present at the beach ultimately confirmed that both individuals had died at the scene.

Hazardous water conditions and red flags

Initial information provided by police sources indicated that both victims had entered the water while a red flag was actively flying across the beach area. In Spanish coastal safety regulations, a red flag warns beachgoers of hazardous sea conditions and formally prohibits people from entering the water for bathing. Despite the red flag warning and the dangerous marine conditions present at Els Vivers beach, both young bathers had gone into the sea. Police and emergency service personnel stated that the bathers encountered acute difficulties while swimming in the water, which led to the emergency rescue operation and their subsequent deaths.

Escalating drowning statistics across Spain

The fatal drownings at Guardamar del Segura take place within a wider period of elevated water-related casualties throughout Spain. Official figures compiled by the Royal Spanish Lifesaving Federation (RFESS) confirm that 2026 has become the worst year on record for fatal drownings in the country since official statistical monitoring began. Between 1 January and 11 September 2026, the federation documented 389 drowning deaths across the nation.

Statistical records from the RFESS show a steady rise in fatal drowning cases over recent years during the equivalent monitoring windows. Across the identical timeframe between 1 January and 11 September in 2025, Spain recorded 368 drowning deaths. In the same reporting period in 2024, the total number of drowning fatalities stood at 361. By comparison, in the period two years prior to 2024, the national tally of drowning deaths for that specific period had consistently remained below 300.