Dedeağaç: Lifeguards save life of 2-year-old girl found unconscious in the sea

According to 22-year-old head lifeguard Athanasia Nouni, the incident occurred at 15:45. Her colleague, 23-year-old lifeguard Elena Kapelou, spotted the child face down in the water and alerted her. “I ran straight in, took her in my arms, and saw it was a very small girl who was not breathing. We began CPR with two fingers, and after two rounds she came back. Around 16:00, the child was taken by ambulance (EKAV) to hospital,” Nouni told the Athens–Macedonian News Agency.

The girl’s mother and grandmother, who had been searching for her, arrived during the rescue. According to Nouni, the child was transferred to hospital and is now in stable condition.

Nouni, a former competitive swimmer with 15 years of experience in the sport, has been working as a lifeguard for four years and is currently a supervising lifeguard in Alexandroupolis. She emphasized that lifeguards aim to prevent accidents before they occur, noting:

“The sea is unpredictable. Many swimmers overestimate their abilities. This was the second serious incident I’ve faced; unfortunately, the first, involving a 75-year-old man, ended in tragedy.”

Her colleague Kapelou, also a former swimmer and graduate of the Business Administration Department of Aristotle University, has been a licensed lifeguard for five years and is working in Alexandroupolis for a second summer.

The Municipality of Alexandroupolis provides lifeguard coverage across all busy beaches, including necessary equipment. During the summer season until September 15, the municipality also installs automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at beach bars along the coastal zone, sourced from municipal facilities such as schools and the conservatory, which remain closed during summer.

Source: ethnos.gr