Walter Finch
A LOCAL diver has been hailed a hero after rescuing the driver of a car that plunged into the sea on the Costa del Sol.
The vehicle veered off the road and over the cliff in the Torremuelle area of Benalmadena around 11am on Thursday.
The white Ford K tumbled down the rocks five or six times before coming to land upside in shallow waters.
Miraculously, the driver survived the 30 metre fall after coming to rest not far from where a local man was snorkelling and taking pictures of the seabed.
The diver managed to reach inside the car and feel around for the driver, and a hand grabbed his arm.
“The car had an air pocket, but it was in the rear. I reached into the cabin to feel for the occupant and felt a hand grabbing mine,” the diver told SUR.
With his help, the driver was able to escape the vehicle and was then brought to shore by a lifeboat from local lifeguard service.
An ambulance then took the driver, a man in his 50s, to hospital, where he is thought to not be seriously injured.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but it is believed that a BMW ride-sharing vehicle collided with the Ford, causing it to veer off the road.
