One German tourist drowned and another was saved from strong currents in the North Sea off of Jutland’s west coast yesterday, leading police to advise holiday-makers to stay out of the water.
At around 1pm yesterday, a 47-year-old German man had to be airlifted to safety by a helicopter near Bjerregård Strand. He was taken to hospital in Esbjerg where he recovered. Less than an hour later, a 69-year-old man had trouble returning to shore near Lemvig and was picked up unconscious by a boat. The German man was transported to Aalborg Hospital but could not be resuscitated.
Riptides, strong currents pulling away from shore, have been blamed for both incidents and police are advising swimmers to exercise great caution.
“Swimmers should not head out in places were people almost drowned,” police spokesperson Jørgen Jensen told Jyllands-Posten. “If it were me, I wouldn’t go swimming in the area from Hanstholm to Hvide Sande.”
The sea also claimed the life of a 25-year-old seasonal worker from Afghanistan after he jumped into the sea from a pier in Løkken last night against the advice of his friends.
When he eventually resurfaced, he was unconscious and despite efforts to resuscitate him on the beach and at Aalborg Hospital, he was declared dead early this morning.