Brit, 26, is killed by lightning ‘while his girlfriend filmed him swimming in the sea’ in Rhodes
- The British man tragically died this afternoon in the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes
A British tourist has died after being struck by lightning while his girlfriend was reportedly filming him swimming in the sea in Greece.
The 26-year-old man tragically died this afternoon while holidaying in the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes.
Emergency services rushed the man to the shore and desperately tried to save his life, but he did not survive.
One witness, who attempted to save the Brit, told Greek outlet Rodiaki: ‘As soon as I got close to him, I saw that he was face down in the water and his face was bruised.
‘I immediately knew that every second was crucial and started pulling him to the shore.’
The 26-year-old man tragically died this afternoon while holidaying in the Agia Agathi (pictured) area of Rhodes
It’s understood that other tourists had urged the man to leave the water when he encountered difficulties at around 1.30pm local time (11.30am BST).
While some local media reports the man was swimming, Rodiaki reported that he had been paddleboarding.
The witness added: ‘I was worried that the same thing would happen to me as it was still raining but I didn’t stop.
‘The rescuers arrived shortly afterwards and performed all the resuscitation procedures to keep him alive. Unfortunately, I found out a little later that he didn’t make it.’
At the time of the tragic accident, the area off the Greek island was reportedly experiencing poor weather and severe thunderstorms.
MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for confirmation.
