British father and son drown off the coast of Majorca

Updated
British father and son drown off the coast of Majorca
British father and son drown off the coast of Majorca

PA


A British man and his seven-year-old son have drowned during a family holiday to Majorca.

Sky News reports that the boy was swept out to sea by a huge wave while playing on a staircase built into rocks at at small cove called Cala Antena, near the resort of Calas de Mallorca on the south-east of the island.

His father dived in to save him and was spotted shouting for help from the sea, waving his arms in the air.

The boy's mother and two sisters witnessed the incident from the beach and ran for help. Lifeguards from a nearby hotel tried to rescue the father and son, but could not save them.

According to a local report, the man had been taking photographs of his son by the rocks just before the tragedy unfolded at around 11am yesterday.

The Daily Mail reports that the Foreign Office has confirmed the deaths, and the pair are believed to be George Selby, 28, and his son Louis - although their names have not yet been officially released.

A police source on the island said: "It's a terrible tragedy. It appears the young boy was swept from the rocks by a large wave, and the dad naturally dived in to save him.

"The sea was ferocious with very strong waves crashing onto the rocks, and when it's like that those stairs are extremely dangerous.

"The staircase really should be closed off when the weather is like that."

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