Marko Kokic in San Salvador
Last weekend saw one of the biggest days in the El Salvador Red Cross calendar – El Paso del Hombre, when 275 Red Cross volunteers demonstrated their physical endurance by swimming for four to five hours continuously – a distance of some 15 kilometers - along El Majahual beach in the Pacific Ocean.
The event, the culmination of nine intensive months of water safety training, attracted more than 15,000 people, who turned out to watch the swimmers and water rescue simulations. The El Salvadorian Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force also took part, providing the Red Cross with naval and air support. Over 500 Red Cross volunteers where on the beach in a show of support for their colleagues.
Only two Red Cross or Red Crescent societies in the world organize such an event, the other being the Australian Red Cross.
This is the 39th annual Paso del Hombre, and despite its name, the event attracts both male and female participants. This is not a competition, but a personal endurance challenge that will test their physical condition to the limit.
During a dramatic simulation, the crew of a capsized boat was saved by Red Cross volunteers on jet-skis before a Navy helicopter staged an airlift demonstration. On board were Red Cross volunteers to give first aid. On the ground were mobile Red Cross rescue teams, ready to take transport victims to hospital.
The beauty of El Salvador’s beaches attracts over one million visitors per year, but strong ocean waves and currents make them dangerous to novice swimmers. Over 100 people drowned in the country last year. However, that number would be much higher if it were not for the continued commitment of the El Salvador Red Cross to teach water safety and rescue to the wider public.
Last year, Red Cross volunteers were responsible for 462 water rescue interventions across the country. Some beaches such as El Majahual have a Red Cross tower manned by lifeguards.
“When it comes to teaching people how to swim and what to do to help others who are in trouble on the water, the El Salvador Red Cross is the country’s most important organization,” explains Carlos Mendoza, El Salvador Red Cross Press Officer.
Related Links:
El Salvador: appeals, updates and reports
El Salvador Red Cross