A 66-year-old British man died after taking an early morning swim today on Praia de Mira (in the district of Coimbra).
According to reports, the man was on holiday at a nearby hotel.
Locals became aware that he was unable to return to shore, and some even tried to rescue him themselves.
Tragically, the man was recovered in cardiorespiratory arrest.
Resuscitation efforts by VMER medical specialists and Mira firemen proved fruitless, say reports.
Even more sad was the fact that the man’s family was completely unaware of his death until well over an hour later.
Aveiro ports captain Carlos Isabel explained: “His wife came down to see what was happening, and only then realised that (the commotion) was about her husband”.
Isabel added that the man was swept into a deep gully, and that he was otherwise a good swimmer.
A similar drowning took place on the beach only a month ago, added the ports captain, stressing the dangers of people swimming on beaches that are now no longer manned by lifeguards.
