TARRAGONA, Spain — The coastal city of Tarragona remains in deep mourning following a series of tragic drowning incidents at the rocky area of l’Arrabassada beach, where three Moroccan boys, aged 12 and 13, lost their lives over three consecutive days. As the community grapples with the compounded grief, the mother of the second victim has taken to social media to raise funds for her son’s repatriation to Morocco while fiercely demanding accountability regarding the emergency response.
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In an emotional video shared on TikTok, the mother explained that she is collecting donations through personal networks and direct mobile payment applications to cover the substantial costs of transporting her son’s body back to his home country. She emphasized that the funds are also necessary to ensure a dignified Islamic burial, which requires specific religious rituals and a proper grave. While the Tarragona City Council has confirmed it will cover the funeral expenses for the first boy who died on Friday through a municipal vulnerability fund, this assistance applies only to local burials. Because the families of the second and third victims have chosen to repatriate their children’s remains, they are not eligible for this specific municipal aid, though the Moroccan Consulate has stepped in to facilitate the complex logistical process.
The mother’s public appeal is accompanied by severe criticism of the beach’s emergency response. She has questioned the actions of the lifeguard on duty when the tragedy first unfolded on Friday afternoon. According to her account, the lifeguard, whom she alleges was a minor under the age of 17, refused to enter the rough, agitated water out of fear of sustaining injuries. She claimed that the responder failed to promptly deploy a rescue buoy or make a vigorous attempt to save the boys, relying instead on emergency calls that resulted in delayed assistance.
Determined to uncover the full truth, the grieving mother has publicly appealed to anyone who was at the beach and may have recorded the incident on their mobile phones, urging them to share any video footage with her. She issued a stark warning that if the legal system fails to deliver accountability, she will pursue justice herself, emphasizing that the beach has claimed the lives of three children.
Una de las madres de los menores muertos en Tarragona recauda fondos para repatriar a su hijo y exige justicia: "Si no la hay, la haré yo" https://t.co/x9IoPTMfjW
— 20minutos.es (@20m) June 23, 2026
The tragic sequence of events began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday in a rocky section of the beach where swimming was permitted under a yellow flag, which advises extreme caution. Six minors experienced severe difficulties in the water, prompting a massive emergency response that included six ambulances, a medicalized helicopter from the Medical Emergency Service, regional firefighters, and the Mossos d’Esquadra police force. Rescue teams managed to extract two of the boys from the rocks and one from the water, while three other youths were able to exit the sea unaided. Despite the extensive efforts of the emergency personnel, the first boy died on Friday, the second on Saturday, and the third on Sunday.
The city observed three days of official mourning, which concluded on Monday, during which institutional events were canceled and flags flew at half-mast. The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, publicly expressed his profound consternation and sadness over the successive losses, extending his deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims while thanking the emergency services for their tireless efforts during the harrowing rescue operations.
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As the investigations continue, local authorities and emergency services are reviewing the protocols and actions taken during the rescue to determine the exact circumstances that led to the devastating loss of life.
