British man drowns in front of family on Canary Islands holiday

British man drowns in front of family on Canary Islands holiday
British man drowns in front of family on Canary Islands holiday



A British holidaymaker has drowned at a beach in the Canary Islands in front of his two young sons and fiancé.

Carl Lee Thompson, 36, a bodybuilder from Bradford, was on holiday in Fuerteventura with his girlfriend Sally Barrett and his two sons.

See also: The most dangerous holiday destinations for Brits

They were only on the second day of their holiday - which they were enjoying with a group of relatives - on 10 August when some of them decided to go for a swim at the beach in Corralejo at around 6pm.

Before they knew it, they were dragged out to sea by strong currents.

Sally managed to get back to shore and raise the alarm, and three people from the group were rescued by lifeguards, reports the Huddersfield Examiner.

But Carl was brought ashore unconscious and was later pronounced dead.

Locals say dangerous currents are a common problem in the area, but that there are not enough warning signs on the beach.

According to the Mirror, one eyewitness later posted on a local website: "Seems ironic that the warning flags were yellow today rather than the red ones that have been in place for the last week or so.

"There have been a number of rips on that beach this last week - please take great care if you are in the water, the rips have been sweeping people off their feet when they are at less than knee depth of water."

An inquest into Carl's death was held at Bradford Coroners' Court on Tuesday this week, and the inquest was adjourned by Coroner Martin Fleming until December 15 so statements from the Spanish authorities could be received.

According to the Daily Mail, Carl and Sally had just moved into a new house together in Bradford.

Family friend Cassey Bell, 28, told the paper: "Carl and Sally were really happy. He loved his boys, he was devoted to them and loved going off travelling with them."

The news comes just a couple of weeks after a young father-of-four was killed by a huge wave while swimming in the sea in France.

Rob Walton, 36, head coach of Rugby Lions, suffered fatal whiplash after being hit in the spine.

He was on holiday with his wife and four children and had been staying at a campsite in Labenne, in the Aquitaine region.

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