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Date Published: 09/06/2026

Quick thinking strangers and lifeguards save British tourist after heart attack on Nerja beach

A firefighter among the crowd and a defibrillator on hand made all the difference on the Costa del Sol

A British tourist survived a cardiac arrest on the Costa del Sol on Sunday June 7 thanks to a rapid and coordinated response from fellow beachgoers, lifeguards and emergency services that unfolded in the critical minutes after he collapsed.

The man, who is in his 50s, was walking with his family along the coastal path between Burriana Beach and Carabeíllo Beach in Nerja at around midday when he suddenly went down.

Within seconds, people nearby had called the emergency services and begun helping him, among them a firefighter who happened to be passing and immediately took charge of initial first aid alongside another bystander.

Two lifeguards arrived shortly afterwards with a semi-automatic defibrillator and between them, the group performed CPR on the man while paramedics and police made their way to the scene. The combination of fast action from members of the public and the availability of a defibrillator proved decisive.

After several minutes of resuscitation efforts, the emergency responders successfully restored his pulse and he was taken to hospital for specialist care. No further details about his condition or identity have been released.

The incident is the latest in a string of remarkable rescues in the Axarquía area in recent months, each one reigniting the conversation about first aid training and defibrillator access in busy public spaces.

In May, a Belgian athlete in his 50s was brought back after collapsing at the Fernando Ruiz Hierro sports centre in Vélez-Málaga, where a firefighter, gym instructors and other users kept him alive with CPR and a defibrillator before the 061 emergency services arrived.

That same month, an off-duty nurse out for a run in Caleta de Vélez came across a man in his 70s who had collapsed in the street and performed resuscitation until help arrived.

Image: Ayuntamiento de Nerja

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