John Ambrosi, a United States citizen, had a miraculous escape from death while bathing in sea at Kollam as the fierce currents nearly pulled him in. ?Had it not been for the lifeguards I would have drowned,? a relieved Mr. Ambrosi said.
Over the past couple of years, the sea at Kollam has claimed 21 lives, all of whom had entered the waters for a bath. Hence, civic authorities and voluntary organisations had put up boards there warning visitors against bathing in the area. ?But I somehow missed the warning boards and was tempted to bathe in the beautiful beach,? Mr. Ambrosi, a good swimmer, said.
As he entered the water he felt the strong current. He also realised that he was unable to come out of the water. Since he was constantly hit by big waves he thought that the waves would push him to the beach. But the current kept pulling him back.
Sensing danger, four lifeguards dived into the sea and saved the tourist. Mr. Ambrosi said that if it were not for the timely intervention of Ponnappan, Anil Kumar, Shibudas and Satish, ?death was just one or two minutes away.?
He said that he had come to Thiruvananthapuram with his wife Kathy on May 27 to attend a wedding. His parting note ? ?No more sea baths in India in this trip. This does not appear to be the right time for it.?
