British tourist drowns after going swimming ‘while red flag was raised’ at beach
A British tourist has drowned after going swimming in the sea near a popular Spanish beach resort.
The 77-year-old man is believed to have taken to the water yesterday morning despite lifeguards raising a red flag to warn of unsafe conditions, local news reported.
He was later pulled unresponsive from the Mediterranean Sea at Racó beach in Cullera, south of Valencia in eastern Spain.
Paramedics arrived at around 11.30am and performed CPR for 30 minutes, but were unable to save him.
It is not currently known whether he was affected by a previous illness or if he was unable to swim due to the treacherous conditions.
The stretch of coastline at Cullera is particularly dangerous due to powerful sea currents.
A 56-year-old man also died off Racó beach on August 1, while a third person drowned at San Antonio beach slightly further south on July 13.
The latest incident comes a month after a British woman died in a suspected drowning at a beach in Lanzarote last month.
She was understood to have been at the Las Cucharas resort with her family on July 25 when she got into trouble.
An autopsy was due to be carried out to determine the cause of death, but Civil Guard officers did not believe her death was suspicious.
A Southampton native named Bryn Thomas also died at La Roqueta beach in the Costa Blanca resort of Guardamar del Segura after racing into the sea to help two children who were struggling in the water in June.
The 52-year-old was one of two men who lost their lives in the incident.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.