13 saved from drowning off Goa beaches over extended New Year weekend

Panaji: Thirteen people have been saved from drowning in the sea off various beaches across Goa over the extended New Year weekend, a state-appointed lifesaving agency said on Wednesday.

Six missing children were also traced during this period and reunited with their families, said a spokesperson of the agency.

Five separate double rescues were carried out involving two young boys, a middle-aged couple, two men from Gujarat, two youngsters from Karnataka and two men from Uttar Pradesh off different beaches, he said.

The other rescues were of a 22-year-old tourist from Rajasthan, a 34-year-old resident of Karnataka, and a 27-year-old man from Punjab. Of these, two were intoxicated, he said.

The agency, Drishti Marine, also responded to six “first-aid emergencies” across Goa’s coastal belt, the spokesperson added.