The death of two Britons at the Blue Lagoon last Saturday has prompted calls for an earlier introduction of the lifeguard service as tourists start flocking to this beach well before the summer.
Eyewitnesses recounted how they watched in exasperation while the tragedy unfolded but could do nothing. They said it made no sense to wait until the peak of summer to deploy lifeguards as by the beginning of May this Comino beach is already packed with bathers. Some readers also suggested that the presence of lifeguards may have prevented the tragedy.
In recent years the Gozo Ministry, in collaboration with the Malta Tourist Authority, has provided a lifeguard service which was managed by the Emergence Response and Rescue Corps. The service runs from mid-June till the end of September.
Saturday’s tragedy unfolded when the two 35-year-old men who were on holiday drowned after being pulled under by strong currents at around 3.30pm.