Athens, 10 July 2022 (MIA) - The mayor of the municipality of Kassandra Anastasia Chalkia said Sunday that a ball, slightly deflated has saved the life of 30-year-old Ivan, who spent 19 hours at sea, and is now rescued and is in good health, MIA’s Athens correspondent reported on Sunday. The mayor, who has been closely following the search and rescue operation for finding the Macedonian tourists who were swept away by a strong tide in Halkidiki, reveals details to MIA’s correspondent how the 30-year-old man managed to survive. “Honestly I am very happy after learning that he is alive after 19 hours at sea. A ball was found in front of him and this ball was his salvation,” the mayor said. She explained that he was initially taken to the health center in Kassandra, and from there he was transferred to the hospital in Thessaloniki, to undergo all the tests and "to be 100 percent sure that everything is okay." “I think he had or has a birthday. God gave him a great gift, gave him life. I wish him to be alive and well, and my next wish is to find the third young man. We are all helping in the search, all the volunteers from the municipality of Kassandra are there, the fishermen, of course, the air force, the coast guard, all the rescue teams,” Chalkia told MIA. The search operation of the Greek coast service, the Greek rescue team and volunteer rescuers continues to find the second missing person, a 28-year-old Macedonian national. On Saturday afternoon, the three young men from North Macedonia went into the water in Possidi on the first peninsula of Halkidiki, and due to bad weather, and winds the swimmers could not swim back to the shore. Sunbathers, who saw the three young men being swept away by the sea waves and currents, informed the Coast Guard. One of three friends missing in Halkidiki, a 25-year-old man has been found alive on Saturday after spending nearly two hours in the water, while on Sunday a 30-year-old man, who was missing for over 17 hours, has been rescued. The father and the brother of one of the missing young man have reportedly traveled from North Macedonia to Possidi and have been on board of a volunteers rescuers’ boat out in the sea. Sanja Ristovska