Girl still intubated, sister out of danger after mother drowns at Larnaca beach

Local LarnacaTop News Girl still intubated, sister out of danger after mother drowns at Larnaca beach Cyprus Weather Beach Tourism Relevant News Girl still intubated, sister out of danger after mother drowns at Larnaca beach 17 August 2026 49th Wind and Kite Festival in Villa de Leyva, Colombia 17 August 2026 On this day: Michael Phelps becomes first Olympian to win eight gold medals at a single Games, in2008 17 August 2026 Natasa Christoforou 17 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The 12-year-old daughter of a 35-year-old woman who drowned at the CTO beach in Larnaca on Saturday afternoon remains intubated in intensive care at Makario Hospital, where her condition is stable, police said. Her 14-year-old sister is out of danger and has been moved to the paediatric ward. Oroklini police are taking statements from beachgoers to establish how the woman drowned. The mother went into the sea with her two daughters shortly after 6pm, while the father and the family’s third child, a boy, stayed on the shore. Swimmers nearby then saw the three struggling to stay above the water. The mother and both girls were brought ashore and ambulances rushed to the scene. Rescuers could not revive the mother, and the two girls were taken to hospital. Hundreds of beachgoers were at the CTO beach at the time, and the lifeguard service in the area had finished for the day shortly before. Questions raised over lifeguard cover hours The timing has raised the question of how long organised beaches are covered by lifeguards. At several beaches, swimmers are in the water until as late as 8.30pm. Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou set out the position on July 9, answering a question from Larnaca MP Prodromos Alabritis. His reply did not establish a single, island-wide timetable for lifeguard presence, leaving the question of hours open. Ioannou said the lifeguard programme is shaped to prioritise busy and higher-risk beaches during the peak tourist season, and the hours when most swimmers are in the water, making the best use of available staff. Existing cover and operating hours are assessed regularly and adjusted where necessary and possible, he said, so they match actual conditions on the beaches during the busiest months. The same reply shows the number of lifeguards falls short of what effective cover would require. Of 374 approved posts this year, 84 are vacant. Paphos district accounts for 122 of the 374 posts, Famagusta 92, Limassol 74, Larnaca 73 and Nicosia district 13. The vacancies break down as 26 in Limassol, 25 in Paphos, 23 in Larnaca, six in Famagusta and four in Nicosia. Swimmers are better covered at the busier beaches, which are more organised and have more lifeguards on duty. Ioannou said the allocation programme is drawn up “on the basis that all approved posts will be filled”. Staffing shortages mean it cannot always be applied in full, he said. Lifeguards are therefore posted according to priorities and operational needs, taking into account seasonality, how busy each beach is, its geographic position, its risk level and the presence of winter swimmers. Read more: Larnaca crowning raises questions over lifeguard cover hours Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News 49th Wind and Kite Festival in Villa de Leyva, Colombia On this day: Michael Phelps becomes first Olympian to win eight gold medals at a single Games, in2008 Larnaca crowning raises questions over lifeguard cover hours Paphos steps up fire patrols after week of blazes Renovate-Rent scheme stalls with 86 applications Duty to report abuse rests with the teacher, circular says A 16-year-old swaps the beach for the courtroom Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.