Rescue teams, including the Coast Guard, were engaged in a frantic search late into Wednesday night for a lifeguard who went missing in the coastal waters at Shanghumughom after he managed to save a girl from drowning.
The Valiathura police and his colleagues identified the lifeguard as Johnson, 45, of Abi House, Shanghumughom.
He was one of three lifeguards who risked their lives to save the girl.
The girl was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital, the police said.
The incident took place at 4.30 p.m. when one of the lifeguards raised an alarm after seeing the girl fall into sea. Johnson and two other lifeguards, Rajendra Kumar and S. Ani, dove in after her.
“It was high tide and the sea was extremely rough. Moreover, the undercurrent was strong at the spot where the girl fell,” recalled Markose, one of the two lifeguards who remained on the beach and later helped drag the girl out of the water.
Struggle with waves
The three lifeguards managed to get hold of the girl, but they floundered in the water for about 15 minutes.
The battering waves hurled them against the broken steps of the beach, according to Markose.
Johnson must have hit his head on them and lost consciousness, he believes.
“He was a heavyset man. Although one of the lifeguards held on to his shorts, a strong wave carried him off,” he said.
By then, Markose and Sivadas had thrown in lifebouys and ropes and managed to haul the girl on to the beach.
Johnson had signed up as a lifeguard 12 years ago. He and the others had been covering the various beaches on this stretch of the coast on rotational basis.
After a stint at Kovalam last month, Johnson was posted to Shanghumughom recently.
