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Sunbather Rescued Seven Miles Out At Sea On Tiny Lilo

Sunbather Rescued Seven Miles Out At Sea On Tiny Lilo

Russian medic Olga Kuldo, 55, was saved after a border patrol plane checking for illegal immigrants spotted her stranded

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

We've all had or heard of a holiday disaster, whether it's a trip to the local hospital or a bout of food poisoning. We'd rather leave it back home to be honest.

But just imagine waking up from a nap and realising you're smack bang in the middle of the ocean on your lilo. This is the stuff of actual nightmares.

And it's exactly what happened to one terrified tourist who was rescued after floating out a sea for 21 hours on the on a lilo after being swept away by a strong current. We can't even begin to imagine the sheer panic.

Frontex

According to The Sun, Russian medic Olga Kuldo, 55, was saved after a border patrol plane checking for illegal immigrants spotted her seven miles offshore.

She was floating throughout an entire night and was reportedly burnt by the hot sun the following day. She needed hospital treatment for exposure and resulting heart problems.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex, told The Sun Online: "On 28 June in the morning, a Slovak patrol plane deployed by Frontex in Greece was involved in a Search and Rescue operation when the Hellenic Coast Guard requested our plane to search for a missing person in the sea above Rethymno, Crete.

Olga Kuldo.
EAST2WEST

"At 10.40 our aircraft located the missing person, floating on an air mattress, nine nautical miles from Rethymno and one nautical mile from the coastline close to Lavris.

"A Hellenic Coast Guard vessel was dispatched and rescued the 55 year old female who had been in the sea for about 20 hours."

Olga from Zelenograd, near Moscow, had been staying with her husband Oleg, 59, and daughter Yulia, 28, at the resort of Rethymno.

The family alerted rescuers after she failed to return to her hotel room after a late afternoon swim. But it was 21 hours later that she was spotted from the air after a huge boat and jet-ski search failed to locate her.

Frontex

A rescue vessel brought her back to shore and it is understood that she was rushed to hospital with 'heart problems' and 'hypothermia' after suffering from exposure and sun stroke.

Her daughter Yulia, 28, a TV producer, posted on social media: "Miracles happen."

She said her mother, an ultrasound diagnostics doctor, had been 'burned to ashes' by the daytime sun before the plane spotted her.

A local report on the island said she was on her sunbed 'when she was carried away to the open sea so she could not be seen from the beach'.

It is unclear whether Olga fell asleep but reports say she was carried away by a 'strong current'.

This is absolutely terrifying stuff, but shows how easily you can get into danger on holiday, with summer in full swing we urge people to be careful.

Featured Image Credit: Frontex

Topics: Greece, News, Sea, Rescue, Community, Holiday, Russia