A man has died after being rescued from the sea at Playa del Águila, also known as Playa de La Escalera, near El Cotillo in the north of Fuerteventura, yesterday evening (Thursday).

Emergency services were alerted at around 5:30pm after reports that two people were in difficulty in the water off the popular beach in the municipality of La Oliva.

One of the swimmers managed to get out of the sea without assistance and was treated on the beach by paramedics. However, he declined further medical treatment and did not require hospital transfer.

The second person was found by rescuers from the Canary Islands Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) helicopter. After being winched to safety, crews discovered he was in cardiac arrest and immediately began CPR while transporting him to a nearby landing area.

Once on the ground, paramedics, a medical helicopter crew and staff from a local health centre continued resuscitation efforts. Despite their attempts, they were unable to revive him, and his death was confirmed at the scene.

Beach rescue teams, Civil Protection volunteers, Local Police officers and firefighters also took part in the emergency response. The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation and is preparing the official report into the incident.