A British teenager is in a critical condition after getting into difficulty while swimming in the sea during a school trip to northern Spain. The 14-year-old girl was rushed to hospital in Lloret de Mar, Catalonia, on Saturday morning (November 15) after being pulled from the water by a teacher and two police officers who jumped in to help.

The young girl is understood to have been playing with friends in rough waters in the popular Costa Brava resort before a powerful wave swept her out to sea. Emergency services were called to the scene after the alarm was raised at around 11.30am local time, including paramedics, local police, officers from the Mossos d’Esquadra and the fire service. One of the police officers who leapt in to save the youngster had to be treated for hypothermia.

According to The Olive Press, one witness said: “I was able to see the whole scene from the balcony of my flat opposite the beach […] They managed to rescue the young girl and performed CPR, which saved her life.

“Hopefully, she will not suffer any lasting effects.”

The young victim has been admitted to an intensive care unit at Josep Trueta Hospital in Girona.

Lloret de Mar is a seaside town on the Costa Brava region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, around an hour’s drive from Barcelona. Apart from its stunning Mediterranean beaches, it is also known for its medieval hilltop Castle of Sant Joan, which offers impressive views over the area.

This news comes after two British siblings, Ameiya, 13, and Ricardo Junior, 11, tragically died off Llarga beach in Salou, Tarragona, after getting into trouble while swimming in July. The children’s father, Ricardo Senior, entered the water in a frantic attempt to save the brother and sister, but had to be saved by emergency services after being overwhelmed by the choppy waters.

Ameiya and Ricardo, known to friends and family as Maya and Jubs, both from Birmingham, had been holidaying with their mother, Shanice Del Brocco, and father when the tragedy occurred. 

No lifeguards were present on the beach at the time of the incident, with emergency services called at 8.47pm local time. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene and performed CPR on the children, but they were sadly pronounced dead at the scene.