Doctors save Russian suffering broken neck after being hit by waves in Vietnam
A Russian man whose cervical spine was ruptured after being hit by strong waves at a beach in Nha Trang has undergone a surgery to reconnect the broken bone.
Doctors at Khanh Hoa General Hospital on November 25 said they successfully performed the operation on the victim, 33-year-old Denis Gurov, of Russian nationality, on the same day the incident took place.
Gurov was hospitalized on Tuesday afternoon with his arms and legs paralyzed and his neck bone broken, after he was hit by violent waves while bathing at the Tran Phu beach in Nha Trang, which is the capital of Khanh Hoa Province.
His friends who were bathing together with the victim found him drifting motionless but were unable to approach him due to violent waves as high as two meters.
Beach rescuers in lifejackets then rushed to the scene, got close to Gurov and took him ashore.
During the rainy season in Nha Trang, there are often many strong waves that create sudden and dangerous whirlpools, the city’s beach rescue team warned.
The team also said it had performed more rescues at beaches in the city to deal with emergency incidents.
In October this year, Nguyen Thi Dan, a 64-year-old woman, survived a similar incident at the beach in Nha Trang, when she was also hit by violent waves.
After being rescued, she was taken to hospital with her arm bone broken and had to undergo surgery.