An investigation has been launched into the death of a British man who was reportedly struck by lightning while paddleboarding in Greece.
The 26-year-old was in the sea off the beach in Agia Agathi, Rhodes, while his girlfriend filmed him from the shore, local media said.
Tourists on the beach called to the man to urge him to get out of the sea as the weather turned but he remained in the water.
The lightning struck the water near to where the man was paddleboarding shortly before 1.30pm local time on Monday and caused him to fall in the water injured.
A Brazilian footballer who was nearby when the tragedy occurred waded into the water to pull the man back to shore, according to Greek newspaper Rodiaki.
He told the newspaper: “As soon as I got close to him, I saw that he was face down in the water and his face was black.
“I immediately knew that every second counted and began to pull him to land. I was afraid that I would suffer the same, since it was still raining. But I didn’t stop.”
The passerby performed first aid on the Briton and medics took him to a local hospital, but he was later declared dead.
The Port Authority of Rhodes confirmed the man’s age and nationality but gave no further information.
A spokesperson said: “This is an active case so we cannot give more details at the moment.”
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities.”
