Lifeguard Rescues 10-Year-Old From Drowning at Balos Lagoon, Crete

A dramatic rescue unfolded at the popular Balos lagoon in Chania, Crete, on Friday afternoon when a lifeguard saved a 10-year-old boy from drowning. The incident occurred as the boy and his foreign mother were walking towards a canteen through a narrow channel where the sea deepens significantly.

The child lost his footing in the water and began to sink, swallowing water. His attempt to keep his backpack dry hindered his reaction to the danger. The situation unfolded rapidly, with the boy sinking within seconds.

Eyewitness Nikos Schoinoplokakis, a boat captain present at the scene, told ERT Chania that the lifeguard, 23-year-old Manolis Mylonakis, immediately noticed the distress. Mylonakis dove into the water without hesitation and successfully pulled the boy to the surface before his mother fully grasped the severity of the situation.

This was not the first time Mylonakis had acted heroically in the area; he had recently rescued two other swimmers who were swept away by SUP boards in the same location. The visibly shaken mother repeatedly expressed her gratitude to the lifeguard for his swift and decisive action, which proved life-saving for her son.

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Everything happened in a matter of seconds.