The official explained that the swimmers were foreign and lacked the know-how and skill to handle dangerous sea currents. 

He said that it was obvious to the trained eye that they were swimming in a current, however, people who are not well acquainted with such a situation may not recognise the signs.

Hence, there was a Red Flag on the beach serving as a warning sign to swimmers of the “dangerous currents”. Nonetheless, four people were still in need of saving by two heroic lifeguards.

The official explained that foreigners often travel a long way to get to the beach and do not understand the dangers that the sea poses as well as locals do. 

“Most of them would have never been in the sea while some don’t even know how to swim. What often happens is that they would walk into the water to a point where they can still stand and the currents would pull them a meter away to where they can no longer reach the floor. This is where drowning and panicking starts,” he said.

He further explained that it is hard to reach and educate foreigners while Maltese people are easily made aware through local campaigns and education programmes. The wisdom imparted by parents and family members helps too. 

In fact, he even went so far as to thank the Maltese public for being so conscious of the risks. While there have definitely been Maltese people who have experienced drowning, the official explained that the majority of cases are foreign.

This summer alone there have been 32 water rescues – this is different from cases of first aid which have already surpassed a thousand – and the official said that an “easy 70%” of these cases were foreign. 

During the last case, one of them even required medical assistance.

Ultimately, whether you are Maltese or not, always ensure to follow the flags on the beach; do not swim when there are sea currents.  

Do you swim when there is a Red Flag warning at the beach?