A British tourist has died while on holiday on the Costa del Sol, Spain – the man, 57, got into difficulties in the sea at the popular holiday resort of Fuengirola
A British tourist is suspected to have drowned after getting into difficulty in the sea. The holidaymaker was taking advantage of the good weather in the popular holiday resort of Fuengirola and went for a late-evening swim.
Police said today onlookers saw him in difficulties and pulled him out of the water after calling emergency services.
There was nothing the emergency responders could do to save him when they reached the beach and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The tragedy happened near a beach restaurant called Chiringuito Martin Playa. The alarm was raised just after 9pm last night.
Police sources confirmed the dead man was British and was staying at a nearby hotel. He has not been named.
A spokesman for a regional emergency response coordination centre confirmed: “A man died yesterday evening at a beach in Fuengirola.
“Emergency responders received the first of several calls around 9.10pm, saying a man was drowning in the sea off Fuengirola’s seafront. According to the callers he was about 60 metres out and was having difficulties getting out of the water. National and local police were mobilised along with coastguards and paramedics.
“Two members of the public were able to get the man out of the water but despite the efforts of the emergency responders to save his life, there was nothing they could do to revive him. He was pronounced dead on the beach before he could be taken to hospital.”
An Irish holidaymaker drowned on a nearby Costa del Sol beach during Spain’s historic blackout last month. Darren Pilson, 53, from Howth, Co Dublin, was pulled out of the water after getting into difficulties off a beach in the resort of La Carihuela near Torremolinos.
A Dutchman who helped pull him out of the water after seeing him in difficulties revealed he passed away after they were unable to contact the emergency services by phone or online following the power outage. Meeno van Oorschot also claimed in a Facebook post the dead man was recently widowed and had died in front of relatives including a son he had taken on holiday following their loss.
A death notice published a few days after the tragedy said: “The death occurred of Darren Pilson, Howth, Co. Dublin on April 28. Tragically in Spain. Predeceased by his sister Tracy and dad Pat. Darren will be very sadly missed by his adored son Sonny, mother Maureen, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, neighbours and his wide circle of friends. May he rest in peace.”
On Monday night a 39-year-old British woman died after plunging from a scenic beauty spot in Majorca. She was rushed to hospital critically injured that morning following the drama.
She fell about 60 feet from a lookout point in the Palma neighbourhood of es Jonquet overlooking the sea. Local police and paramedics who responded to an emergency call stabilised her at the scene before putting a ‘Green Alert’ in place to make sure she got to hospital as quickly as possible by clearing traffic for the ambulance transporting her.
The alert was raised around 8.30am on Monday. The unnamed Brit was admitted to an intensive care unit at Son espases Hospital in Palma as police began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Hospital sources said yesterday she had died the night she was admitted to hospital. Insiders close to the probe into the woman’s death have confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with what happened and it was not being treated as a crime.