British tourist, 55, drowns in Mauritius while swimming in ‘rough seas’, hours after arriving on paradise island
- The man went to the Flic en Flac lagoon on the west side of the island on Sunday
A British tourist has drowned in Mauritius during his first dive into the sea after arriving on the paradise island.
The Briton, 55 years old, landed in Mauritius on Sunday and said he stayed at the Henessy Park Hotel in Ebène, on the west side of the island. Le Express.
He went to the nearby Flic en Flac lagoon for his first dive and got into difficulty in the water, local media reported.
The man was reportedly pulled from the water by a Frenchman on a boat, but attempts to revive him failed and he was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The sea was reportedly rough and there were heavy swells when the man drowned.
The Briton, 55 years old, landed in Mauritius on Saturday and stayed in a hotel in Ebène, on the west side of the paradise island. He went to nearby Flic en Flac beach (pictured) for the first time on Sunday and got into trouble in the water
The British man was due to leave Mauritius on Friday.
He is one of three people who drowned in the strong swell, while three others are still missing. Coast guard rescue efforts are undermined by strong winds and waves up to four meters high.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MailOnline: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Mauritius and are in contact with local authorities.’
It comes after a heroic British father tragically went missing after disappearing beneath the waves while trying to save his 15-year-old son, who survived the ordeal on the paradise island of Mauritius.
The 49-year-old man had tried to save his teenage son, who was swept out to sea by large waves in the Pomponette Lagoon on the island’s southern coast, according to local media reports.
But the Brit himself ran into trouble during the rescue effort and by the time lifeguards reached the 15-year-old boy shortly after 10.15am on March 23, his father had disappeared beneath the waves.
While his son was successfully rescued, the search for the man lasted well into the night and continued on March 24. He has not yet been located and is feared dead.
The man, his partner and his son had arrived in Mauritius on Friday, March 22, and were due to leave about a week later, just before Easter Sunday, on March 30.