world

World :: British Girl And Grandad Drown In Portugal

A five-year-old British girl and her grandfather have drowned in Portugal after being pulled into the sea.

The youngster was with her two grandparents on Salgado Beach, in Nazare, about 80 miles north of Lisbon, when they were dragged away by strong waves.

Fishermen in a boat saw the three struggling in the water at 2pm on Tuesday, said Antonio Jose de Albuquerque, the local harbour master.

They managed to pull them from the waves, before calling for help.

Emergency services arrived at the scene, but the grandfather, 66, was already dead.

 They battled for an hour to revive the girl, but were unable to save her.

The grandmother was taken to a nearby hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.

There are unconfirmed reports the girl's parents were also on the beach, and were treated for shock.

 Local journalist Rui Pinto de Almeida said the sea was "terribly rough" with waves up to 9ft high at the time.

He said the three had gone for a walk when they got into trouble.

"It seems the child had a problem near the water and the grandfather tried to help and the tragedy happened," he added.

The Foreign Office said: "We are aware of reports of the death of two British nationals in Portugal and we are in touch with the local authorities."

The beach is a windy spot popular with surfers, and slopes steeply down to the water's edge.

Eight people have now drowned off Portuguese beaches this summer.