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A 25-year-old tourist couple have drowned at a beach in Guardamar del Segura after getting caught in strong sea currents while a red flag was flying.

 

The Ukrainian couple, who were living in Poland, had travelled to the Alicante town to visit friends and were spending Saturday with a group at Els Vivers beach when the tragedy happened.

 

According to Guardamar mayor José Luis Sáez, two women from the group entered the sea but subsequently found themselves struggling to get back to shore. Their partners went into the water in an attempt to help them.

 

One of the women was brought to safety, but the second woman and her partner were unable to escape the currents and drowned.

 

Emergency services recovered both victims from the water and attempted to resuscitate them, but neither could be revived.

 

Els Vivers is a natural beach located around two kilometres from Guardamar's centre and does not have a lifeguard service. The mayor said a red flag had been flying there for more than a week because of rough seas and strong currents.

 

Guardamar has around 11 kilometres of coastline, but its lifeguard and rescue services continue until October 31 only at the Centro and Roqueta beaches. Els Vivers is not covered by the service.

 

Mr Sáez warned that strong currents can affect virtually all of Guardamar's beaches and become particularly dangerous when the sea is rough. People unfamiliar with the conditions can quickly become exhausted if they try to swim directly against a current, he explained.

 

The deaths come during what has already been a particularly deadly year for drowning in Spain. According to figures from the Royal Spanish Lifesaving and Rescue Federation (RFESS), 389 people had died by drowning between January 1 and September 11, 2026.

 

That compares with 368 deaths during the same period in 2025 and 361 in 2024. In earlier years, the figure was below 300 over the equivalent period.

 

Image: Comunitat Valenciana