Drones have taken the world by storm despite being a novel tech idea fairly recently. Before, they were used for getting shots no one could ever hope to do with their camera. Now, they are used for racing, light shows, and even combat.
Nevertheless, the use of drones in other situations besides these is astonishing enough that it's hard to believe without seeing, such as what recently happened in Spain.
Spanish rescuers were recently reported to have used a drone to help save the life of a boy struggling to keep himself afloat in the waters off the coast of Sagunto in Valencia, Spain, per Interesting Engineering.
The report was first published in Spanish in one of Spain's daily newspapers, El País.
Life-Saving Drone Details
The incident occurred on July 1, when the boy, age 14, went swimming at a beach while yellow flags were flying - a sign that swimmers should be cautious when entering the water due to high surf or dangerous currents and undertows, per CRW Flags.
Additionally, a yellow flag flying on the beach means that beach goers are required to swim only near lifeguards and heed all their warnings.
The boy, who may be unaware of the flag's meaning, went to the waters to swim, but could not get back to shore due to the Mediterranean's strong waves and currents at the time.
By the time lifeguards noticed the 14-year-old boy, he was already showing clear symptoms of exhaustion and was in grave danger of drowning if help could not reach him in time.
Lifeguards then deployed their first responder drone carrying a life jacket and sent it to the boy, which only took a short amount of time compared to lifeguards on a jet ski.
Read also: New Ice Cream Flavors: Mario, Kirby, Animal Crossing — Thanks to Nintendo, Cold Stone Collaboration
Despite some difficulty on the boy's part due to the current, he was able to wear the life jacket in time, which helped him keep himself afloat.
Shortly thereafter, the lifeguards on a jet ski equipped with a stretcher came to the boy's location. With some struggling, the lifeguards were able to put the boy on the stretcher and went back to shore.
The boy was immediately admitted to the local hospital, where he remained for the night while he was being checked on.
The 14-year-old boy was eventually discharged the following day.
Dario Moreno, the mayor of Sagunto, told El País that the 14-year-old boy's rescue was the fifth that was carried out by the region's first responder drones.
He also mentioned that Sagunto has been using drones for emergencies and first response since 2017.
Moreno then added that they had seen four similar rescues since June.
First Responder Drone Details
The first responder drones responsible for saving at least five lives are the product of Sagunto-based General Drones, a start-up company founded by Adrian Plazas, who is also the company's general director, and Enrique Fernandez.
Plazas were partially motivated by an accident wherein a few seconds' difference could have saved the life of a victim. After that, he went on to work as an engineer at a Pilkington factory in the area, while Fernandez started working in drone manufacturing. The two eventually got back together to found General Drones.
Related Article: DJI's New Mini 3 Pro Drone Will Cost at Least $699 — Is It Worth It?
