Two tourists, aged 81 and 69, died today following sudden medical emergencies on beaches in Salento, southern Italy. Their deaths bring the total number of fatalities on Puglia’s shores within the last 24 hours to five, with extreme heat suspected as a possible factor.
This morning, an 81-year-old man from Ruvo di Puglia (Bari), vacationing in Salento, died after collapsing on the shoreline near a beach club in Torre Inserraglio, Nardò. Bystanders, a lifeguard from a neighbouring lido, and emergency medical personnel (118) attempted resuscitation, but all efforts proved futile.
Later in the afternoon, a 69-year-old Croatian tourist suffered a fatal cardiac arrest while bathing at Torre dell’Orso, Melendugno. His wife had accompanied him to the beach. Other bathers raised the alarm, alerting lifeguards at the establishment where he was spending the day. An emergency ambulance arrived, but resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
These incidents follow three deaths yesterday in the provinces of Lecce and Brindisi, also attributed to sudden illnesses: a 79-year-old man died while swimming at Torre Lapillo beach; 66-year-old Pino Barletta suffered a medical emergency in the sea shortly after diving in; and a 19-year-old woman from Modena collapsed while swimming with her parents in the waters in front of a campsite in Torre San Giovanni, Ugento.
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