British man, 41, drowns after ‘being swept away by currents’ at a Portuguese beach

A British man has drowned after getting into difficulties during a swim at a Portuguese beach.

A surfer went to his aid after seeing he was being dragged out to sea by strong currents and attempts were made to revive him at the scene.

But there was nothing that could be done to save the 41-year-old.

A Dutch national believed to be around the same age who was part of a group the British man was with was taken to hospital after getting into difficulties himself but managing to get out of the water without help.

The tragedy occurred around 3pm on Wednesday at Sao Pedro de Moel beach near the town of Nazare north of Lisbon which has become famous for the giant waves that hit its coast every year from October to February and attract surfers and spectators from all over the world.

Local maritime police chief Joao Lourenco had already confirmed a 41-year-old foreign man had died after ‘being swept away by currents’ at the beach.

He said another man of about the same age had been taken to Santo Andre Hospital in the city of Leiria as a precaution.

Overnight Portugal’s National Maritime Agency confirmed the dead man was British.

They said: ‘A British man aged 41 died on Wednesday afternoon after getting into difficulties at Sao Pedro de Moel beach.

‘There was no lifeguard service at the beach at that time.’

Local reports said the dead man, who has not been named, was part of a group of recovering addicts who were being treated at a nearby drug addiction clinic and made regular trips to the beach as part of their therapy.

In January a British teenager drowned after being caught up in a rip current while swimming with friends on a Portuguese beach.

The 19-year-old and two pals got into difficulties during a dip off a small sandy beach on the Costa da Caparica coastline south of Lisbon.

Two of the three people, all thought to be Brits, had managed to get out by the time help arrived and a search was launched for the third which ended with his body being discovered on neighbouring Tarquinio-Paraiso Beach.

In June 2021 British financial consultant Trevor Pelling, 45, drowned while trying to save his two daughters they got into difficulties while trying to save his two daughters aged 12 and nine at Calada Beach north of Lisbon.

The girls were later taken to Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon for a medical examination and a psychologist was provided to assist the grief-stricken youngsters and their mum.

In October 2019 yoga teacher Kim Fletcher, 33, and her former hip hop musician fiance Danny Johnson, 34, died at Zambujeira do Mar in the south-west of Portugal.

Danny swam out to try to save his partner as she got carried away by a dangerous rip tide, but they drowned after he reached her and tried to get her back to the shoreline.

The couple, from Stoke-on-Trent, had a four-year-old daughter called Aveyja and also cared for Kim’s 15-year-old girl Maicee from a previous relationship.

In July this year a British tourist drowned at his Algarve hotel pool.

The hotel where the incident involving the 27-year-old holidaymaker occurred was named locally at the time as the Paraiso Hotel in the popular resort of Albufeira.

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