Latest news with #Salou
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit dad desperately tried to save drowning kids, 11 & 13, off ‘yellow-flagged' beach as cop tells of tragic rescue bid
A BRITISH dad desperately tried to save his drowning children off a "yellow-flagged" beach, with a cop speaking of the rescue bid. The brother and sister, aged 11 and 13 respectively, tragically died off Llarga beach in Salou, Tarragona, on Tuesday evening. 4 4 The two children, alongside their dad, had gone swimming from the rocky area of the Negresco Hotel - where the family had been staying, local media reports. As they swam, the siblings were reportedly swept by the current and separated by a hundred metres, Civil Protection sources told DiariTots21. Their dad reportedly made a desperate attempt to save them and had to be rescued himself after nearly drowning. Three local cops had heroically jumped into the sea to rescue the family, with Chief Inspector Jose Luis Gargallo telling reporters that the sea was rough and a yellow flag had been raised. One of the officers, identified only by his first name and the initial of his surname as Younes A, said: 'A hotel worker was trying to get one of the three out of the sea when we arrived. 'We were told when we helped get that person out that another two people were in the sea who could be minors. 'We tried to locate them, saw bits of clothes and seconds later were able to locate and get a young girl out of the water and began resuscitation and another police force was the one responsible for getting the other child out of the sea. 'When the emergency services arrived they took over the efforts to save them until they said they couldn't do anything more. 'We don't know the circumstances leading up to them getting into difficulties. 'I leapt into the water with two other colleagues to get the father to safety first before going back to rescue one of the children.' He added: 'There were waves and wind. It was dangerous. There was a lot of swell.' Lifeguards were not at the beach as their duties finished at 8pm - just 48 minutes before the harrowing incident unfolded, Gargallo said. Cops managed to save the children's dad, who had swallowed a lot of water and was very exhausted, Gargallo said. The children were also brought to the shore but tragically could not be resuscitated. Gargallo said: "When the officers arrived, there were three people with significant difficulties getting out of the sea; all resuscitation maneuvers were performed on the children, but without success. "We did everything possible, we put the father in a safe area, we also took the minor and performed resuscitation on him, but without success." He added that CPR continued to be performed until emergency services arrived. Gargallo explained how the couple had five children, and while the dad and two of the children were out swimming, the mum stayed at the hotel with the other three. Salou Town Hall carried out a minute's silence just before midday local time today following the tragedy. Authorities said the deaths marked the 15th and 16th fatalities on Catalan beaches since June 15. The number "already exceeds by five those registered in the same period last summer". Around five hours before the British children died, a 54-year-old German tourist drowned at a nearby beach in the resort of Cambrils. He was rescued alive but died soon after he reached the shoreline. The tragic incident occurred around 4.30pm yesterday at Cap Sant Pere beach in Cambrils. Cambrils' mayor Oliver Klein said afterwards: 'We profoundly regret the loss of a human life on our coast. 'It's a tragic incident which has left us deeply moved. I want to express my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person affected.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Rescuers describe harrowing moment they found British brother and sister, 11 and 13, dead and their exhausted father alive in 'stormy sea' off Spanish beach
Rescuers have described the harrowing moment they found a British brother and sister, 11 and 13, dead, and their exhausted father alive in the 'stormy' Spanish sea. The children tragically lost their lives after getting into trouble while swimming in the water off Llarga beach in Salou, Tarragona, on Tuesday night. Previous reports claimed it was two brothers who had lost their lives, but officials confirmed this afternoon the dead children were a girl and a boy. Inspector Jose Luis Gargallo, head of Salou's local police force, said the initial 112 call received pointed to three people drowning. He said: 'Local police rushed to the scene and saw that there were indeed three people who were really struggling to get out of the water. 'It was a father with his son and his daughter, all British. 'When the youngsters, the boy and girl aged 11 and 13, were brought out of the water they had no vital signs and all the resuscitation efforts to save them proved unsuccessful. 'The father could be saved. He had swallowed a lot of water and he was exhausted but could be saved thanks to the intervention of the emergency medical responders and police. The children tragically lost their lives after getting into trouble while swimming in the water off Llarga beach in Salou, Tarragona, on Tuesday night (stock image) 'We're talking about a family with five children and the mum was in the nearby hotel where they were staying with the other three children. 'The father was with the two children that died. 'All day a yellow flag had been out at that beach so there was a danger of a stormy sea which is why the yellow flag was out. 'When the tragedy happened the sea was the same as two or three hours before so it was a stormy sea. 'That's why you have to be careful with the sea. The beach where this happened 99 per cent of the time offers perfect bathing conditions, it's a very calm sea normally. 'Yesterday it wasn't like that at this beach or at other beaches in the area. Just a few hours earlier another person had died in very similar conditions.' He added: 'The lifeguards are on duty at the beach where these British youngsters died until 8pm. They start work at 9.30am. 'Unfortunately this alert came in at 8.48pm so 48 minutes after the lifeguard service had finished. 'This has been an accident but as always with these sorts of accidents, a thorough investigation will take place to see if there are things that can be improved and if they can there will be improvements.' He also said local police officers jumped into the sea to try to save the children. One of the officers, identified only by his first name and the initial of his surname as Younes A, said: 'A hotel worker was trying to get one of the three out of the sea when we arrived. 'We were told when we helped get that person out that another two people were in the sea who could be minors. 'We tried to locate them, saw bits of clothes and seconds later were able to locate and get a young girl out of the water and began resuscitation and another police force was the one responsible for getting the other child out of the sea. 'When the emergency services arrived they took over the efforts to save them until they said they couldn't do anything more. 'We don't know the circumstances leading up to them getting into difficulties. 'I leapt into the water with two other colleagues to get the father to safety first before going back to rescue one of the children.' He added: 'There were waves and wind. It was dangerous. There was a lot of swell.' Footage published locally yesterday showed a helicopter flying above the beach where a white tent had been erected on the sand to shield the bodies of the two children. Emergency services were still at the scene after nightfall before court workers authorised the removal of their bodies so they could be taken to a nearby morgue for post-mortems to take place. The authorities said the deaths marked the 15th and 16th fatalities on Catalan beaches since the summer campaign officially began on June 15. The figure 'already exceeds by five those registered in the same period last summer'. Last summer, 11 deaths were reported on Catalan beaches.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Two British brothers, 11 and 13, drown off beach in Spain
Two British brothers aged 11 and 13 have drowned after getting into difficulties while swimming at Salou, a popular Mediterranean resort in north-eastern Spain. The boys' 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 two boys. 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 boys' 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.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Horror as British brothers, 11 and 13, drown off Spanish beach after facing difficulty when swimming in sea
Two young British brothers have died on a Spanish beach after facing difficulty when swimming in the sea. The pair — aged 11 and 13 — drowned off Llarga Beach in Salou, Tarragona, on Tuesday night, according to the county's Civil Guard. Their father, who was also in the water, reportedly made a desperate attempt to save his children before being rescued. The 112 emergency service operator first received a call just after 8.45pm, sparking a large emergency response. Paramedics from the Medical Emergency System were sent to the scene alongside a team of psychologists to assist the grieving family. The Salou Local Police, the Catalan Police and the Generalitat Fire Brigade were also mobilised. Authorities have now recorded 16 fatalities in Catalan beaches in just six weeks. Last summer, 11 deaths were reported on the same beaches. Catalonia's Civil Protection said in a statement: "Two brothers, of British nationality and aged 11 and 13, drowned this evening on the Llarga beach in Salou (Tarragona). 'The father of the minors, who had also entered the water, was rescued alive. "These are the 15th and 16th fatalities on Catalan beaches since the summer campaign officially began on June 15, a figure that already exceeds by five those registered in the same period last summer (11). "The emergency telephone number 112 received the warning at 8.47pm. Seven land units of the Medical Emergency System (SEM) intervened in the incident, as well as a team of psychologists activated by the same service to assist the relatives." The British family involved are understood to be staying at the four-star Hotel Best Negresco.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Two British brothers, 11 and 13, drown off beach in Spain
Two British brothers, aged 11 and 13, have drowned after getting into trouble while swimming off a beach in Spain. Their father, who ran into the sea to rescue them, survived. The boys died on Tuesday evening after entering the water in Salou, Tarragona, Catalonia's civil protection agency said. Emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 9pm but were unable to revive the two boys. Reports indicate that they were swimming in a rocky area about 100 metres from the beach, but heavy seas prevented them from getting back to the shore. It was then that their father entered the water before having to be rescued himself. 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.' The tragedy occurred only hours after a 54-year-old German tourist drowned nearby off the beach at Cambrils. A total of 16 people have drowned on Catalan beaches since 15 June, five more than over the same period last year.
