On Tuesday, at around 17:00, the civil defence, which has been responsible for monitoring swimming on Vimerø beach since Monday, intervened and rescued three people. According to our information, confirmed by the Civil Security Service, a 43-year-old man, who was on the dam with his family, saw two young swimmers in difficulty in the water when the sea level was almost high.
He then decided to go help them, but then found himself in a difficult situation. “ The rescue team member, quickly joined by four others, took care of the three people.– says Adam Bernart, Director General of the Civil Protection Office of Pas-de-Calais. A resuscitation doctor and a resuscitation nurse, who were on vacation on the beach, helped the rescuers and began cardiac massage. »
Meanwhile, the two stranded young men returned to land unharmed. Upon arrival at the dam, firefighters from Boulogne, Marquis and SMUR, led by Lieutenant Patrick Reboucher, team leader, continued to intervene on a forty-year-old man in cardiopulmonary arrest.
Outside the swimming area
They continued the massage for a long time before finally transporting the victim, whose condition was very alarming, to the Boulogne hospital. Unfortunately, the forty-year-old man died upon arrival at the emergency department.
The events took place at the level of the rock buoy, on the northern dam.
During the intervention, municipal police officers did not allow passersby to enter.
Municipal police and national police, also on the scene, evacuated the area during the operation, where there were many swimmers due to the high tide. During the intervention, the flames were extinguished and surveillance of the beach was interrupted.
Regular warning messages
This Tuesday, late in the afternoon, the sea in Vimereux was not particularly calm, but there were many people in the water. Moreover, according to eyewitnesses, rescuers regularly sent warning messages to swimmers, recommending that they remain in the observation zone.
Unfortunately, dramatic events took place outside this area, near the rocky spur that marks the mouth of the river. The victim, a Belgian by birth, was vacationing with his family at a seaside resort.