Goa lifeguards prevent V-Day tragedy, rescue abandoned UK spouse

In a queasy Valentine's Day story, a 50-year-old woman tourist from the UK was rescued while attempting suicide at a popular Goa beach after her partner, also a UK national, abandoned her, leaving her without any travel documents.

According to a statement issued by the Drishti Marine, a lifeguard agency mandated by the state government to prevent drownings on Goa's beaches, Michelle (full name not known) was rescued using life-support gear by lifeguards after she was spotted running into the sea off Baga beach in North Goa.

"The lifeguard on duty, Sanjay Yadav, spotted a lady who was visibly distressed running into the waters and heading out into the deep. He relayed a call to the tower for backup and rushed into the water to retrieve the lady," the statement said.

"Yadav reached the lady and attempted to secure her to the rescue tube but she refused and stated that she wanted to end her life. As she was in great distress, the lifeguard calmed her down, secured her to the tube and brought her back to the shore," the statement said.

The rescued woman hails from Newcastle in the UK.

"She was in Goa on a holiday with her husband. Further queries revealed that the lady's husband had abandoned her, taking all her travel and other documents with him," the statement said.

The police are in the process of ascertaining her contact details and have contacted the immigration department to seek details about her travel documents.

After Russia, tourists from the UK top the foreign passenger arrival charts to the coastal state. Last year, Goa attracted more than seven million tourists, nearly half a million of which were foreigners.-IANS