British girl, 5, and her grandfather drown after being swept away in rough seas during Portuguese holiday

• Horrified parents were on the beach but were unable to reach pair
• The girl's grandmother was also swept away but was pulled from the sea by fishermen in a boat

A British girl of five and her grandfather drowned on holiday in Portugal yesterday after they were swept away in rough seas.
The girl’s distraught parents, who were standing on the beach, were powerless to help as her grandmother was also swept away.
She was later pulled alive from the sea by fishermen sailing nearby.

Tragedy. Firefighters prepare to move the bodies. The youngster and her 66-year-old grandfather died after being swept away in rough seas

A paramedic supports the relatives of the pair that drowned. The tragedy happened shortly before 2pm at the Salgado beach in Nazare, 80 miles north of Lisbon

The tragedy happened shortly before 2pm at the Salgado beach in the town of Nazare, which is 80 miles north of Lisbon.

Locals said that water was often rough off the beach and that waves were between six and ten feet high when the tragedy happened.

The grandparents were walking along the beach with two grandchildren when they were hit by a large wave and dragged out to sea, local authorities said.

The younger grandchild, a three-year-old, managed to stay on the beach and raised the alarm.
Port Authority commander Albuquerque e Silva said: ‘An English couple were walking along the beach at Salgado by the sea with their two grandchildren.

‘They left the area watched over by lifeguards and it appears they were surprised by a wave which hit them and dragged them out to sea.
'There were two children with them, a girl of five and another child aged three. It was the three-year-old who managed to raise the alarm.'

He added: ‘The grandfather was pulled from the water but he was already dead.

‘Officers from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies also tried to revive the child, but without success.’
One report said the grandfather, 66, drowned trying to save his granddaughter’s life.
Emergency services raced to the beach, which is popular with surfers, and gave first aid to the grandmother.
She was taken by ambulance to a hospital where she is in a stable condition. The girl’s parents were being treated for shock.

The victims have not yet been named by local authorities.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: ‘We are aware of reports of the deaths of two British nationals in Portugal and are in touch with the local authorities.’

 

The deaths take the number of people who have drowned off  Portuguese beaches this summer to eight.

A lifeguard watches boys at Salgado Beach where the pair drowned