A 4 year old boy gets lost looking for shells on a beach in Rota and appears in Chipiona

What a fright a family has had while enjoying the sun on one of the wonderful beaches of Rota, in Cadiz. Alejandro, a 4-year-old boy, got distracted while looking for shells in the sand and ended up missing. He was found on another beach in Chipiona by another bather and the Local Police took care of returning him to his parents.

It is by no means the first time a minor gets lost on a beach. In this case, little Alejandro, only 4 years old, was collecting shells on a beach in Rota when, suddenly, his family realized that he was not there. Then they called the police “desperately”, who mobilized all the security forces to find the boy.

However, it was not the police who found the little boy. A bather from a beach in Chipiona found Alejandro alone and warned the authorities. The local police of the town of Cadiz picked him up and carried him to where his parents were.

The Chipiona Local Police itself shared the event on social networks, highlighting the work carried out by the agents. They also used the story to launch several tips to prevent this kind of situation from happening again “every year”.

How to prevent children from getting lost on the beach

Logically, the best defense is a good attack and, in this sense, the best attack is prevention. The first advice given by the agents is to guide the children. To do this, we must stand with them on the shore, with the back to the sea, and show them two points close to the umbrella (one on the left and one on the right) with which the child can recognize the area where the family is located.

In this sense, anything goes, but we must always look at those things that stand out from the others, such as a squeaky umbrella, the beach bar, rocks or buildings.

In addition, it is important to show them where the guard post and first responders are located. So, in case the kid gets lost and fails to return to the site through the points we have shown them, they will have another option.

Another classic option that we can apply and that helps a lot, in case the child is lost definitively, is to place an identifying bracelet with our phone number. This way, when someone finds them, it will be easy to return them to the parents.

If, in spite of everything, the child is definitely lost, what you should do is call the Emergency Services (112). While we wait, it is important to relax and be optimistic, since, as the police remind everyone, the vast majority of these cases end with a “happy ending”. Similarly, if the child is found, the authorities must be informed.