The lifeless body of a 14-year-old youth, who disappeared while bathing in the Segura River in Almoradí, was found on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources from the Provincial Firefighters Consortium and the Civil Guard.
The boy disappeared while he was swimming with a group of friends after “he got into difficulties in the water”.
The deceased youth reportedly took off his clothes with the intention of getting into the water, but once he was in he called for help to get out. He didn’t know how to swim. Two of his friends then tried to help him without success. They also requested help from an adult who was in the area, but the minor had already disappeared.
The central bed through which the Segura flow runs is apparently very narrow compared to the rest of the channel, but in reality, it is four metres wide and up to two meters deep in some points. It is also a terrain where thick mud accumulates in large quantities, both on the banks and on the riverbed, from which it is very difficult to escape.
The search was carried out close to the “Héroes de la Riada” monument, between the bridge that connects the towns of Almoradí and Algorfa. Relatives of the group of teenagers also arrived at the scene, alerted by the news of the disappearance, as well as any other residents of Almoradí, the town where the boy’s family resides.
Firefighters, Almoradí Local Police, Civil Protection and Civil Guard of the Torrevieja Company were all searching from eleven in the morning, after receiving the alert through 112.
Around a quarter to three, members of the Special Group of Underwater Operations (GEAS) from Cartagena, with support from the GEAS of Alicante, eventually found the lifeless body of the young man in the middle of the riverbed.
The worst omens were confirmed for the family and friends waiting at the scene, news received amid deep displays of pain. The boy’s remains were transferred to the Forensic Anatomical Institute at around 4 p.m. to undergo an autopsy.
The area, occasionally used as a play area by children, is difficult to access due to the presence of thick reeds that occupy most of the new riverbed, although the place where the disappearance occurred has a concrete ramp that facilitates access to the channel. This is the point where the Segura River broke it’s banks during the DANA in September 2019.
