Brit tourist, 26, dies after being 'struck by lightning' on Greek holiday 'as girlfriend filmed from beach'

29 May 2023, 21:02 | Updated: 30 May 2023, 00:18

A 26-year-old British man has died after reportedly being struck by lightning while paddleboarding in Greece as his girlfriend filmed from the beach.

The tragic incident reportedly happened on Monday afternoon in the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes, the largest of the country's Dodecanese islands.

According to Greek newspaper Rodiaki, a passer-by, who it named as footballer for a local side Wander Machado, 47, had managed to pull the Brit to land.

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“As soon as I got close to him, I saw that he was face down in the water and his face was bruised," he said.

"I immediately knew that every second was crucial and started pulling him to the shore."

Wander added: "I was worried that the same thing would happen to me as it was still raining but I didn't stop.

Lightning reportedly hit the water near to the victim shortly before 1.30pm local time, which caused the victim to fall into the water injured.

Wander, who is said to have performed first aid immediately after he and others pulled him onto the beach, continued: "The man was still alive, I could hear his heart and he had a pulse.

"The EKAV rescuers arrived shortly afterwards and performed all the resuscitation procedures to keep him alive. Unfortunately, I found out a little later that he didn't make it."

The man is thought to have been rushed to the Archangelos Health Center, where medics desperately attempted to resuscitate him, but sadly he did not survive.

The Central Port Authority of Rhodes confirmed that the victim was a 26-year-old male British national, but provided no further details.

A spokesperson told the Telegraph: “This is an active case so we cannot give more details at the moment.”

The Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities.”