Storm sweeps two Czechs out to sea on paddleboards in Croatia — rescued within an hour

On Tuesday evening, Croatia's rescue service received a report about two Czechs swept out into open water on SUP boards (stand-up paddleboards) by a powerful storm. The distress call came in at 9:23 pm, and according to the Croatian news portal index.hr, coordinating the rescue operation was made difficult by the roar of the storm, a language barrier — the Czechs did not speak English — and the fact that both men were in a state of shock.

Despite these obstacles, rescuers managed to roughly pinpoint the pair's location north of the island of Zečevo and dispatched a boat from the town of Senj. The men were found by 10:31 pm — roughly an hour after the alarm was raised. Both were suffering from mild hypothermia; after receiving first aid, they were taken to the town of Sveti Juraj.

Search continues for missing Portuguese tourists

Meanwhile, in the Velebit Channel between the island of Krk and Zadar, search efforts continue for two of four young Portuguese nationals swept out to sea on an inflatable boat during the same storm. Rescuers have already found one woman alive and in good condition, and located a man on the rocks who was taken to a hospital in Rijeka.

A Croatian Interior Ministry helicopter, a coast guard plane and vessels patrolling between Rijeka and Senj have joined the search for the remaining pair. According to Croatian media, the group may have been caught out by the weather: despite temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius, the area saw strong winds and heavy swells, reports the portal dnevnik.hr.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz