Latest news with #MennovanOorschot
The Journal
06-05-2025
- The Journal
Dutchman 'deeply affected' after trying to help Irish father who drowned in Spain during blackout
TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to an Irish holidaymaker who drowned on the Costa del Sol during Spain's historic blackout. Darren Pilson, 53, from Howth, Co Dublin, was pulled out of the water after getting into difficulty off a beach in the resort of La Carihuela near Torremolinos. A Dutchman who went to aid him after seeing him in distress revealed he passed away after they were unable to contact the emergency services by phone or online following the power outage on Monday, 28 April. Menno van Oorschot also claimed in a Facebook post the dead man was recently widowed and had died in front of relatives including a son he had taken on holiday following their loss. A death notice published at the weekend said: 'The death occurred of Darren Pilson, Howth, Co. Dublin on April 28. Tragically in Spain. The incident happened around 5pm last Monday afternoon. Mr van Oorschot said in an agonising social media post, describing the day as 'very sad' and recounting the problems caused by the power outage on the beach he was on: 'The sea was very rough and there was a mega strong current. Lifeguards were nowhere to be seen because it is not yet high season. 'We were surprised that some people let their children play in the wild sea. We kept glancing sideways over the big waves. Advertisement 'While we were drinking our drinks on the beach, I caught a glimpse of someone going under in the sea about 80 meters away from us. 'Quickly and without hesitation, I dashed into the sea towards that person. 'Together with quite a few others, we got him onto the beach and started resuscitating. 'Unfortunately, all our efforts were in vain. And unfortunately, the man has passed away. 'The realization of how much we depend on the internet and telephone really hit me hard. There was no way to call the emergency services, and when the police finally arrived, the ambulance could only be alerted via the walkie-talkie. This all took an incredibly long time, too long. 'What touches me the most is that the man we pulled out of the water with all our might was on vacation with his son and grandmother to cope with the loss of the boy's mother, who unfortunately passed away six weeks before the vacation. 'The father has also passed away, and that deeply affects me. The feeling of helplessness still hits me hard, even though I know that we all did everything we could today to save the man's life.' Well-placed sources said: 'The police had lots of problems trying to contact the courts so they could authorise the removal of the man's body.' Last Monday's blackout had already been linked to five deaths, including that of a family of three in Ourense, Galicia, thought to have been killed by carbon monoxide fumes from a faulty generator. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Daily Mirror
30-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dad dies in Spain holiday tragedy as power cut meant he couldn't be saved
The dad in his 50s died after getting into difficulty in the water off the Costa Del Sol - an eyewitness has claimed an ambulance took 'too long' to arrive because of Spain's nationwide power cut A dad has died on holiday in Spain after the nationwide power cut meant he could not be saved. The Irish father, aged in his 50s and named only as Darren, had been swimming the water off the resort town of Torremolinos in the Costa del Sol when he got into difficulty. His struggle was witnessed by his son and a Dutch tourist on the shore, but when the second man attempted to phone the emergency services, he could not get through - because of the power outage that left all of Spain and Portugal without electricity on Monday. He was pulled from the water by the Dutch man, but by the time rescue teams arrived on scene to treat him it was 'too late', according to locals. The family is said to have to have booked the holiday following death of his wife only six weeks earlier. Writing on Facebook afterwards, Dutch tourist Menno van Oorschot recalled how he had been sipping his drink on the beach when he saw a man flailing his arms in the sea "about 80 metres from us." He explained: "Quickly and without hesitation, I threw my things to [wife] Lindsay and reached the man in the sea. "Along with many others, we brought the man onto the beach and began resuscitation. "Unfortunately, all our efforts weren't successful. And the man sadly died." He said the tragedy made him realise just how reliant we are on technology, with the ambulance taking far "too long" to arrive because of the delay in getting through to the emergency services. The incident and its tragic timing had left him with a feeling of "helplessness", he said, adding: "What touches me most is that the man we pulled from the water with his son and grandmother was on vacation to process the loss of the boy's mother, who had sadly died six weeks before the holiday… that hits me hard." A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were "aware of the case" and "providing consular assistance", adding: "As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases." According to Spanish media, at least four deaths have been linked to the powercut that hit the entire nation, neighbour Portugal and parts of southern France on Monday. An older married couple and their son were reportedly found dead at their home in Ourense, northwest Spain, at noon the following day, with local reports suggesting they had died from using a faulty generator when their power went out. The parents were aged 81 and 77, and their son was 56. Local reports pointed to carbon monoxide poisoning as responsible for their deaths. A woman also died on Monday night in her flat in the Carabanchel district of Madrid after allegedly using a candle to light her home after it was plunged into darkness. Another 13 people in the complex were treated by paramedics.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Spain power outage 'blamed after British father drowns in front of family while on holiday'
An Irish father has died while swimming off the Costa del Sol during Monday's 'unprecedented' blackout - as witnesses were left unable to help the stricken tourist because of the power cut. Named only as Darren, the man, who is believed to be aged in his 50s, was holidaying in Torremolinos when the tragic incident unfolded in front of his son. The family is said to have taken a vacation following the death of his wife just six weeks earlier, the Spanish Eye reports. Due to the total collapse of Spain 's communications network on Monday, witnesses were unable to call emergency services and had to try and save Darren's life on the beach. They said that by the time the authorities arrived it was 'too late'. The unprecedented blackout sparked chaos across Spain and Portugal yesterday, as planes were grounded and phonelines and the internet were cut off. Dutch tourist Menno van Oorschot recalled how he pulled Darren out of the sea. It came after several British tourists who witnessed the incident sought updates on social media today. In a Facebook post Menno wrote: 'The sea was very rough, and there was a very strong current. A rescue worker was nowhere to be seen because it's not yet the high season. 'As we sipped our drink on the beach, I noticed at first glance that someone was sinking in the sea about 80 metres from us. 'Quickly and without hesitation, I threw my things to Lindsay (his wife) and reached the individual in the sea. 'Along with many others, we brought the man onto the beach and began resuscitation. 'Unfortunately, all our efforts weren't successful. And the man sadly died.' He said it suddenly dawned on him how important the internet and phones were to daily life. He added: 'They couldn't call emergency services, and when the police finally arrived, the ambulance was alerted by the phone. All of this took a long time, too long... 'What touches me most is that the man we pulled from the water with his son and grandmother was on vacation to process the loss of the boy's mother, who had sadly died six weeks before the holiday… that hits me hard. 'The feeling of helplessness still lingers with me, even though I know we all did everything we could to save this man's life.' Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said: 'The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. 'As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases.' It comes as the first fatalities from the blackout have been reported, with four people said to have been killed as a result of domestic medical ventilator failures. A family of three were found dead in Taboadela, Ourense, La Voz de Galicia reported today as the grid managed to recover power across the nation. Civil Guard officers said they found the married couple, aged 81 and 77, and their 56-year-old son this morning. It is suspected they died from carbon monoxide poisoning during the outages, due to combustion issues with a generator installed to keep a respirator working. A 46-year-old woman was separately reported to have died on Monday in the Valencian town on Alzira after her oxygen machine lost power during the blackouts. Police in the east coast city said the woman, who was suffering from a lung infection, had stopped breathing and was unable to be resuscitated. While power was recovered today, holidaymakers continue to face disruption and further uncertainty as they battle lengthy journeys home. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday that the government had set up a commission to investigate what triggered the incident, and refused to rule out any hypothesis. 'All the necessary measures will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again,' he told a press conference. Spain's top criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, said it was investigating whether the blackout was 'an act of computer sabotage on critical infrastructure' that could be classified as 'a terrorism offence'.
