Hero British father, 49, is feared dead after disappearing beneath the waves while trying to save 15-year-old son who survived ordeal on paradise island of Mauritius

A heroic British father is feared dead 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 Saturday, his father had disappeared beneath the waves.

While his son was successfully rescued, the search for the man lasted until Saturday evening and continued on Sunday. He has not yet been located and is feared dead.

Police were called to the paradise beach and arrived at 10:15 am on Saturday morning. They launched a massive search operation, including the National Coast Guard and a police helicopter.

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.

The weather forecast for the area shows that a storm was heading towards the island paradise this weekend, likely affecting the large waves that pulled the man and his son out to sea.

The weather forecast had already warned of high winds and possible three-metre waves on Friday and a strong swell warning came into effect on Sunday ahead of the storm hitting the island overnight into Monday.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Mauritius and are in contact with local authorities.’

This comes as a British citizen drowned in front of his wife after being swept away by strong currents while swimming off an Indian beach.

The 72-year-old man died on Friday evening at Talpona beach in Canacona, in the western state of Goa. Times of India reports.

Local police said he was swept away by a strong current after going swimming with his wife.

The couple raised the alarm when they drifted into the sea and rescuers pulled them both ashore on jet skis, local media said.

Both were given CPR and although his wife could be resuscitated, the British man was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

The couple were regular visitors to Goa and had been on holiday in the region for 15 days when the man died, police said.

Sources told local media that the British man married his wife a year and a half ago.

An autopsy was ordered after police recorded the man’s death as ‘unnatural’.