Alejandro was rescued after falling and getting caught in the (lots of) trash in his apartment. The man, who had not left his house for years, is hospitalized but his life is not in danger.
In the El Prat de Llobregat area of Barcelona, Alejandro, a 48-year-old man who weighs about 250 kilos, was rescued by firefighters after being “trapped” among the (much) rubbish that was on his floor. The rescue operation lasted a total of seven hours.
It was at 8:30 a.m. this Wednesday (one hour less in Lisbon) when the authorities received Alejandro’s alert that he needed help, since he had fallen at home and had not eaten or drunk for several days. The newspaper El País reveals that the firefighters had to use an excavator to remove the garbage – such as plastic bags and boxes – that had accumulated there through the window of the apartment, which was on the ground floor. The Spanish press reports that the man allegedly suffers from Diogenes Syndrome, a disease characterized by neglect in household chores or social isolation.
It was not until 12:00 p.m. that the firefighters managed to reach Alejandro and, after checking that he was okay and giving him oxygen, since he was having respiratory difficulties, they began the rescue maneuvers. They managed to get him out through the apartment window using a forklift around 3pm. At this time, the 48-year-old man is admitted to the hospital, but his life is not in danger. Arnau García, responsible for Social and Community Action in the Prat de Llobregat region, said that it is necessary to “analyze whether Alejandro can go home or if he needs to be hospitalizedFor example, in a house.
Extreme Rescue in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona)
Until the place where the children were transferred, ten firefighters saved the man, 48 years old and 250 kilos, trapped between tons of garbage pic.twitter.com/feipvl58PT
— THE SPANISH (@elespanolcom) May 25, 2023
Alejandro worked at the airport as a computer scientist. However, since the pandemic, when he was working remotely, he has not left the house. Neighbors had already alerted the Barcelona City Council of the situation on more than one occasion. “It’s scandalous,” criticized one of the residents (who preferred to remain anonymous), in statements to El País, recalling the lack of action in the past. “They talked to him on the phone and were happy when he said he was fine,” she said.
The Generalitat Fire Brigade, in Spain, rescued a 48-year-old man weighing 250 kg who had not eaten or drunk for a week in his chalet in El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona.
Courtesy video. #VIVOplay by: https://t.co/SoWgFCIN4q pic.twitter.com/m5f7QHDM65
— VIVOplay (@vivoplaynet) May 25, 2023
Arnau García affirmed that, at that moment, Alejandro said that he was fine and that no one could enter his apartment. In addition, according to the person in charge, the warning from the neighbors was only that they did not see it, there being no “indications of unsanitary conditions or a bad smell.” However, he regretted the fact that a detail had gone unnoticed: it had been years since the man had gone to get his medicine from the pharmacy.
Source: Observadora
