Vic Ashworth, 88, who had been a lecturer at UMIST in Manchester, had gone missing in Nerja – a holiday hotspot in the south of Spain – where he was living with his wife
A body of a British expat who had disappeared in the south of Spain has been found.
Vic Ashworth, 88, had been living with his wife Basma in the Fuente del Baden area of Nerja, near Malaga, when he went missing on July 22. He did not return home after going to the hairdresser on Calle Jaen and was reported missing to police the following day. Mr Ashworth was a renowned engineer who had lectured at UMIST in Manchester and his area of expertise was in corrosive protection. Posters had been put up in the area where Mr Ashworth had gone missing while appeals were also made on social media. And sadly his body has now been found on wasteland not far from his home.
It is understood to be in a location where Vic rarely visited but police are not treating the death as suspicious. There were no signs of foul play such as a robbery or violence but an autopsy is being carried out with indications suggesting he suffered a heart attack. His body was found by hikers only a few hours after his disappearance was reported. It comes as a girl, 3, was found dead on a popular Greece tourist beach by a horrified passer-by.
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Mr Ashworth had also worked as a consultant in the oil industry and was a supervisor during the building of the Channel Tunnel. The couple had moved to Nerja five years ago with his wife Basma, an abstract and textile artist, having chosen the location after initially considering Greece.
They were keen members of the Nerja History Group and Vic had given lectures in China, Japan, Australia, the Middle East and South America, among other countries, reported SurinEnglish.
A message from the group read: “Today would have been Vic’s 88th birthday and he wanted us to celebrate, not mourn. Both Basma and Vic have been great supporters of the history group, attending meetings and accompanying us on many trips. We send our deepest condolences to Basma.”
Meanwhile, two British brothers have died after getting into trouble while swimming off the Spanish coast. Authorities confirmed the boys, aged 11 and 13, were swimming off Salou, Tarragona. Both boys drowned, Spanish officials said, while their father was rescued alive. Police are not treating the incident as a criminal matter.
“Two brothers, of British nationality and aged 11 and 13, drowned this evening on the Llarga beach in Salou (Tarragona),” Catalonia’s Civil Protection said. “The father of the minors, who had also entered the water, was rescued alive.”