Palanga lifeguards find child swimming alone under red flag

Palanga lifeguards are warning parents after finding a young girl swimming alone in dangerous Baltic Sea conditions while her parents were several hundred metres away in the dunes, LRT reported.

The waves were rated at four points and a red flag was flying, meaning swimming was strictly prohibited. Palanga senior lifeguard Kajus Pirožnikas shared the incident on social media.

“A young girl was swimming alone in a stormy sea while the red flag was flying, and her parents were several hundred metres away in the dunes,” Pirožnikas said. “The child was left in a situation where even an experienced adult might need help within seconds.”

The lifeguard asked the children to take him to their parents. “Is this your girl? Why is she swimming alone when there is a red flag and swimming is strictly prohibited? We recorded everything and it will be passed to the child protection authorities,” he said.

The girl’s mother replied that her children never went into the water alone and apologised. The lifeguard responded that the girl had been swimming and that children should not be near the water without their parents.

According to the lifeguards, sea conditions can change instantly in such waves. A current can catch a child and carry them away from the shore, while a wave can knock them down. If a child enters a depression or a stronger rip current, they may be unable to return to shore unaided.

“Even an adult can find it very difficult to survive in such a sea,” the lifeguards said, urging parents not to let children enter the water when a red flag is flying, even if they say they will swim only briefly or know how to swim.