Thermaikos: EKAV revives two bathers

Two cases of cardiac arrest following drowning were dealt with successfully on Sunday 16 August 2026 at Agia Triada beach, in the Municipality of Thermaikos, Thessaloniki. According to information from the Employees’ Union of EKAV 2 Thessaloniki, reported by Ta Nea, the casualties were a boy of eighteen and a woman of sixty. Two conventional ambulances and one mobile intensive care unit were mobilised for the two incidents, with six paramedics and one doctor of the service in total. In both cases a return of spontaneous circulation was achieved, that is, the pulse came back, and the two people were stabilised and transferred to an on-call hospital in Thessaloniki.

The paramedics applied the international protocols for advanced life support: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of a defibrillator, airway management with intubation and the administration of drug treatment. In arrest following drowning, time is the critical factor. Unlike arrest of cardiac origin, where chest compressions take priority, in drowning the first requirement is oxygenation, because the heart stops as a result of the lack of oxygen and not the other way round. That is why interposed rescue breaths before compressions are of real importance in such cases, as is the very rapid start of resuscitation by whoever is on the spot before the ambulance arrives.

The fact that two such incidents occurred on the same day and at the same beach reflects the pressure on emergency care services in coastal areas in August. Agia Triada lies on the Thermaikos seafront, a short distance from Thessaloniki, and draws large numbers of bathers at weekends in the high season. Figures from recent years show that drowning remains one of the most frequent causes of sudden death in summer in Greece, with the overwhelming majority of victims being older men and incidents concentrated at times and places without lifeguard cover.

The outcome for the two casualties has not been made known beyond their transfer, since the return of a pulse at the scene does not determine the patient’s eventual course. EKAV has not issued a separate bulletin on the incidents and the information came from the employees’ union body. The question of lifeguard cover is preoccupying a number of coastal municipalities in the country this year, with several moving to reinforce staffing during the season. More health reporting on the Health page.