Four people had to be rescued on Friday, May 11th, after their ‘trips to the caves’ boat sunk inside a grotto near Marinha beach, Lagoa.The alert was received by the Portimão Maritime Police at 10:21 am, and a rescue boat that already was on the water, immediately was sent to the area.
A boat from Ferragudo also went to help and, for good measure, the Navy turned up in patrol ship, NRP Cassiopeia, which happened to be nearby.
According to the Maritime Authority, the rescue boat arrived at the accident site at 10:33 and personnel verified that "the crew and passengers of the vessel were well, safely inside the cave on a small area of sand and that their boat has turned over and sunk inside the cave."
Due to the restricted access to the grotto, which prevented the rescue vessel going inside the cave, the tourist boat’s crew and passengers were removed using a small boat, borrowed from a local.
The four people were transported to the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station, where two ambulances were waiting, one from the INEM and another from the Bombeiros de Lagoa.
