" We have the means to intervene, but we've been waiting for years for the green light from Areus. And we're still waiting. It's an unacceptable situation ." These are the words of Luigi Fancello , president of the Cala Gonone Blue Cross , after yesterday's tragedy at Cala Luna, where a 51-year-old Spanish tourist died on the beach following a sudden illness.
According to the association's reconstruction, the operations center had alerted them, and the volunteers had immediately gone to the port to depart. But, once they arrived, they discovered that the Coast Guard's dinghy—the only available vessel—was already engaged in another operation.
At that moment, a rented dinghy was waiting in port to accompany them. "We would have arrived in less than ten minutes," Fancello recounts, "but the order came from headquarters not to depart because the vessel wasn't authorized." A helicopter was then dispatched to the scene, but "unfortunately, it arrived too late." "Of course, the medics will also arrive with the helicopter," the Blue Cross clarifies, "but we could have begun basic maneuvers immediately, gaining precious minutes."
For the Blue Cross, this is "an unacceptable episode," and it's the umpteenth time it's happened. " For over three years, we've been asking Areus for a contract for a sea rescue vessel, so as to drastically reduce response times and save lives. But the answer has always been, 'It's not our responsibility,' with constant back-and-forth between agencies ."
The association has a fully equipped water ambulance for beach rescue , an operation that the Coast Guard's patrol boat cannot easily perform. "Yet ," Fancello concludes. "We've been volunteering for years to help those in need. Not being able to do so when every minute counts is a defeat we can't accept. We demand that responsibilities be clarified and that this absurd lack of resources be put an end to."
