Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest on a yacht off an Ibiza beach

A man died on Wednesday afternoon at Platges de Comte after suffering what the emergency services described as “a medical incident on a boat”.

The incident was reported by the Balearic Government’s Directorate General for Emergencies during one of its briefings on incidents recorded on Wednesday as part of the special operation for the eclipse.

However, the director general for Emergencies, Ibiza-born Pablo Gárriz, stressed that the death was not considered part of the eclipse-related operation.

Gárriz explained that 061 medical teams attended the man and carried out cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but were unable to save his life.

“At the time, I was on board a private boat and we saw a person suffer a cardiac arrest after coming out of the water and trying to climb back onto his boat”, said Paola, a Red Cross nurse who is on holiday on the island and was also anchored off Comte when she witnessed the incident.

“The people on board acted immediately and started CPR. Shortly afterwards, as lifeguard services were already in the area, the lifeguards arrived with an AED [automated external defibrillator] and continued the resuscitation attempts”, she explained.

Paola said that, as a nurse “with professional training and experience in emergency care and response”, she approached the medical teams to offer her assistance.

“My role was to help establish and maintain a patent peripheral intravenous line, so that it was available for the continuation of treatment and any subsequent medical transfer”, she said.

Paola also praised the work carried out by the island’s emergency services.