Members of the Lebanese Civil Defense rescued two young men in two separate operations in Al-Aqiba and Wadi Balat, after the first faced danger while swimming, while the second needed the intervention of rescue teams using ropes.
The Department of Information and Public Relations at the General Directorate of Civil Defense announced that marine rescue personnel carried out searches for a young man in his thirties, after he went missing while swimming off Al-Aqiba Beach.
After sea searches and combing operations, the officers were able to find the young man alive about one kilometer from the beach, in the marine area between Al-Aqiba and Halat.
Civil Defense confirmed that the young man was in good health after he was found, thus ending the search operation that mobilized marine rescue personnel after he was reported missing.
In a separate operation in Wadi Balat, civil defense personnel intervened to rescue a young man in his twenties, and ropes were used to reach him and remove him safely, before ensuring that he was in good health.
The two incidents once again highlight the diverse nature of the tasks carried out by civil defense teams, especially during the summer, when the number of interventions related to beaches, swimming, and trips in mountainous and rugged areas increases.
Search operations at sea require speed in determining the last point where the missing person was seen, taking into account the movement of sea currents and wind direction, as the water may transport the swimmer away from the location from which he entered the sea within a short period.
As for rope rescue operations, they are usually used in locations that are difficult to reach directly, such as cliffs, valleys, and rocky areas, and require specialized equipment and trained personnel to secure the injured person and the rescuers at the same time.
Civil Defense repeatedly stresses the need to be careful while swimming or heading to rugged places, adhere to safety instructions, and avoid taking risks in inappropriate circumstances, in addition to requesting assistance immediately after losing any person to facilitate search operations and speed up access to them.
Both operations ended without any casualties recorded, after rescue teams were able to reach the two young men and ensure their safety.
