26-year-old Briton killed by lightning ‘while his girlfriend filmed him swimming in the sea’ in Rhodes
- The British man tragically passed away 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 on the beach in the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes this afternoon.
Emergency services rushed the man to shore and desperately tried to save his life, but he did not survive.
A witness, who tried to save the Briton, told the 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 knew right away that every second was crucial and started pulling it to shore.”
The 26-year-old man tragically died this afternoon while on holiday in the Agia Agathi (pictured) area of Rhodes
It is understood that other tourists had been urging the man to leave the water when he encountered difficulties around 1.30pm local time (11.30am BST).
While Rodiaki reported that he was paddle boarding, other news outlets claim he was swimming at the time of the incident.
The witness added: ‘I was afraid the same thing would happen to me as it was still raining, but I didn’t stop.
“Rescuers arrived shortly after and performed all CPR 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 bad weather and severe thunderstorms.
MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for confirmation.