Tourist airlifted to hospital following beach heart attack

Callum Swatman and Harrison Blowers, who are both RNLI lifeguards, were called to Lowestoft's North Beach last Saturday (July 13) after reports a man was unresponsive and not breathing.

When Mr Swatman arrived, the man's family was attempting to perform CPR. He took over and performed initial checks then began CPR.

Soon after, Mr Blowers arrived and connected the defibrillator, they administered one shock to the man before paramedics arrived, initially assisting the lifeguards before taking over.

Mr Swatman said: "Myself and Harrison were lucky to be working together that day, we have been friends since primary school and travelled the world together so we both knew we could really rely on the other when assisting the casualty.

"The man and his family were visiting from Europe and we would like to wish him a speedy recovery," he said.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Liam Fayle-Parr said: "We are all extremely proud of Callum and Harrison for the way they handled the situation. Without their knowledge and quick actions the outcome could have been very different. We would also like to thank the paramedics who allowed our lifeguards to assist until they took over.

"The paramedics also did an excellent job and our lifeguards were very impressed with them," Mr Fayle-Parr.

In a statement from the East of England Air Ambulance, a spokesperson said: "Anglia One was tasked to Lowestoft to assist EEAST, police and RNLI lifeguards with a man in his fifties who had suffered a cardiac arrest. Babcock pilots landed the helicopter on a grassy area close to the scene.

"Doctor Nicola Ebbs, Critical Care Paramedic Neil Flowers and Supervisor Doctor Peter Temesvari provided advanced A & E level care, including use of the defibrillator and anesthetising the patient to protect their breathing.

"The patient was then carried, by air, to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) for further treatment," they said.