A dizzying fall and a “miraculous” rescue. On Friday, an 8-year-old boy of French nationality accidentally fell into a crater on one of the Galapagos islands (Ecuador).
He survived thanks to the mobilization of lifeguards who managed to come to his aid despite the difficult terrain. Circumstance of the incident, state of health… this is what we know about it
• A scream and the fall
The accident took place on Friday on the very touristy island of Santa Cruz. More precisely, on the outskirts of one of the two craters of Los Gemelos, two opposing formations, formed by the collapse of magma chambers.
The boy fell in a moment of carelessness, without his father being able to catch him, as he explained to the local press:
We were going back, to the taxi, and Axel, the eldest (of his children), was in the back, looking at things, and at one point there was a scream. A Brazilian said that he saw him fall.”
• A “very difficult” rescue
Axel’s fall took him over 100 meters high with dense vegetation. The rescue operation was carried out by firefighters, rangers and volunteers. As the father explained, they used ropes, but it was “very difficult” for them to perform the operations, because “they could not see” the child. Although he “shouted,” “we heard very badly on the spot,” lamented the father.
The situation was unblocked thanks to a Brazilian tourist who was also on an excursion. “He had a drone and he helped the firefighters locate my son,” explained Jérôme Devosse.
• Steady state”
Once rescued, the 8-year-old girl was taken to the Republic of Ecuador hospital on the island. She could speak and was conscious.
“Despite his fall, the patient arrived in a not very critical state, for the moment the patient is stable. He is miraculous, ”said Boris Daza, director of the establishment.
The boy suffered head trauma, as well as clavicle and shoulder blade fractures. On Sunday he was transferred to the Guayaquil hospital for new tests.
Source: BFM TV
