Belgium — In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a drowning man (37) was rescued from the water at Harendijke in Wenduine. The man had entered the water near the Surfing Elephant surf club and drifted nearly two kilometers away. He became severely hypothermic. “That man was very, very lucky,” said the police.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on the night from Saturday to Sunday. A 37-year-old man had gone into the sea near Surfing Elephant in Wenduine, where a beach party had taken place Saturday evening. Not the best decision, as it turned out. He quickly got into trouble due to the strong current and was no longer able to reach the shore on his own.
Saved by a pole
Help cries were heard from the beach by the present fire brigade. That’s why the drowning procedure was initiated. The police and the Voluntary Blankenberge Sea Rescue Service were also called in. Eventually, the victim turned out to have drifted more than one and a half kilometers toward Blankenberge. “There, he was able to cling to a pole in the sea that marks the construction site of the new breakwater,” said Stijn Biebauw, spokesperson for the local police of De Haan/Bredene. It was the VBZR that found the man and brought him aboard.
The victim was severely hypothermic and was taken to the hospital. “He’s very lucky to still be able to tell the tale,” said Biebauw. “The person had decided to go swimming at night, but basically got into trouble almost immediately. His body temperature had dropped significantly. Our teams went to the scene, and we can confirm that the victim was pulled from the water after some time.”