Greek authorities have launched a probe into the death of a 26-year-old British man who was pronounced dead after being pulled from the sea. The Brit was unconscious when he was pulled ashore in Lindos, the historic tourist capital of the island of Rhodes, on August 16, according to local reports.
The island’s port authority confirmed that it was alerted to an incident involving a foreigner being recovered from the water. Emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene, but the 26-year-old was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Police have reportedly launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
An autopsy has been ordered by Greece’s Forensic Medical Service, according to the Daily Mail.
The identity of the deceased Brit has not been disclosed.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”
It comes just months after a 68-year-old British man was found dead on a beach elsewhere in Rhodes.
He had reportedly experienced a medical emergency while swimming off the southeastern Greek island and was seen struggling in the water before losing consciousness.
Reports of his death came just two days after a 31-year-old Bulgarian woman died while kitesurfing near Kremasti Beach in Rhodes’ Ialyssos region.
A 74-year-old Brit was also found dead on a sunbed in Crete last month after concerned passersby noticed that he had been “motionless” for several hours.
Greece was among the European countries hit by sweltering 40C temperatures this summer, with firefighters battling wildfires linked to the persistent hot and dry conditions.
The heatwave is continuing across the southern continent, and earlier this month, thousands of people were evacuated from the tourist islands of Chios and Zakynthos because of fire risk.