A British brother and sister, aged 11 and 13, have drowned after getting into difficulties while swimming at Salou, a popular Mediterranean resort in north-eastern Spain.
Their father, who ran into the sea to rescue them, survived.
Emergency services were called to the scene on the Platja Llarga next to the Hotel Negresco shortly before 9pm on Tuesday. Although all three were alive when they were brought ashore, emergency workers, among them police and firefighters, were unable to revive the boy and girl.
Reports indicate that they were swimming in a rocky area about 100 metres from the beach, but heavy seas prevented them from returning to shore. The children’s father attempted to rescue them, before having to be rescued himself.
The tragedy occurred hours after a 54-year-old German tourist drowned nearby on the beach at Cambrils.
Salou held a minute of silence at 11.45 today in memory of the victims, whose identities have not yet been released by police.
A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British children who have died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Spanish beaches are flagged green, yellow or red, depending on the state of the sea and the strength of the currents. In both Salou and Cambrils the yellow flag indicated that bathers, and children in particular, should be cautious.
Oliver Klein, the mayor of Cambrils, said he was “profoundly saddened by the loss of life on our coasts”, adding that the beaches were safe and well-supervised.
“That said, I wish to appeal to bathers’ responsibility. It’s essential to pay attention to the flags and the advice of the lifeguards. The flags aren’t just advisory, they are there to save lives,” Klein said.
Sixteen people have drowned on Catalan beaches since 15 June, five more than over the same period last year. A further three have drowned in swimming pools.
In June, a two-year-old British boy drowned in a private swimming pool in Ibiza, while later that month, a four-year-old drowned in a pool in Mijas on the Costa del Sol. Last week, a three-year-old girl drowned in a pool in Alicante in south-east Spain.
On average, about 350 people die by drowning in Spain each year, the majority on unsupervised beaches or in rivers.
