A British man has died attempting to swim to the shore after jumping from a tourist boat in Spain.
The 45-year-old was travelling with his brother and parents when he jumped from the ferry between the beach resorts of Cambrils and Salou, near the Catalan city of Tarragona.
Three ambulances responded to the emergency at 6.41pm local time yesterday, as well as a team of psychologists.
The British family had boarded the Dorimar ferry on its last service of the day, departing Cambrils at 5.30pm.
During the trip, both brothers set out to swim to the beach, but one didn’t make it and drowned in the water, Diari de Tarragona reported.
They had planned to meet their parents later at a beach bar. The man was seen struggling by other passengers on the boat, who alerted the crew to call maritime guards.
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His family were interviewed by police and are being supported by specialist officers.
Temperatures reached 30C in Cambrils on Saturday, a resort on the Costa Daurada. The incident occurred the same day a tourist drowned while swimming off a beach near the French border.
The 69-year-old Frenchman was swimming at an unsupervised beach near Colera.
In a statement, Cataluña’s Civil Protection warned beachgoers to take caution when entering the water.
It said: ‘You should avoid swimming if you are not feeling well or if you feel tired, and always follow the instructions of the lifeguard service.
‘If you notice that someone is unwell or has difficulties in the water, you should urgently notify the lifeguard service or call 112 to facilitate rapid action.’
The agency confirmed that a total of 26 swimmers had died on the Catalan coast since the beginning of the season in June.
Metro has contacted the ferry operator, Creuers Costa Daurada, for comment.
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