Sailor rescued eight hours after falling into sea off the Costa Blanca

THE Maritime Rescue have rescued a Spanish sailor from sea eight hours after she fell into the water.

Sonia Mengod Zapata, a native of Valencia, was taking part in the 21st edition of the Cup of the Canal between Denia (Alicante) and Ibiza when she and three other crew-members fell into the sea.

The 44-year-old, who was participating as part of the Natural Ladies sailing team, a team comprised solely of women, fell shortly after the race had begun.

Juan Miguel Martinez, a crew member of the RCR Alicante Dignity 3 sailing vessel, was also part of the race. He told local Spanish media, “Around 12 o’clock we were informed by radio that four crew members had fallen from a boat to the water.

“An hour after this first notice, the race committee told us that the race was suspended and asked us to help in the search, so we went to coordinate with Salvamar.”

The other three members of the crew were rescued shortly after falling into the water but Mengod was unable to be saved at the same time, with the rescue further complicated due to the weekend´s adverse weather conditions.

After seven hours of searching for the 44-year-old, the rescue team found her aware and responsive but showing symptoms of hypothermia. She was airlifted from the scene and then transported to the Hospital de la Fe in Valencia.