British tourist, 26, dies after being struck by lightning as girlfriend filmed from beach

A British man has died in Greece after he was struck by lightning while paddleboarding.

The horrific incident happened this afternoon (Monday 29 May), while the tourist was visiting the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes with his girlfriend, who was recording him from the beach.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and the unnamed man was carried to the shore were rescuers attempted to save his life.

One of the people who tried to save the man said that after spotting the Brit in trouble he threw his phone down and ran into the seat fully clothed.

He told a local paper: “As soon as I got close to him, I saw that he was face down in the water and his face was bruised.

“I immediately knew that every second was crucial and started pulling him to the shore."

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The man said after spotting the Brit in trouble he threw his phone down and ran into the seat fully clothed.

The witness continued: "I was worried that the same thing would happen to me as it was still raining but I didn't stop.

“When I got him out, I started giving him first aid, massaging him and everything else I knew.

“The man was still alive, I could hear his heart and it had a pulse. In a short while, the EKAV rescuers arrived and performed all the prescribed resuscitation procedures to keep him alive.

“Unfortunately, I found out a little later that he didn't make it."

According to reports, the man was just 26.

The man was rushed to the Archangelos Health Center, where medics tried desperately to resuscitate him - tragically, they were unable to do so.

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The Central Port Authority of Rhodes has launched an investigation into the death.

They said in a statement: "This is an active case so we cannot give more details at the moment."

The UK's 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."

Last year, one man died and another was injured after lightning struck Mount Falakro in northern Greece.

The two men had been taking part in the Six Peaks challenge when tragedy struck.

Two fire and rescue squads rushed to the scene where they found one runner, 55, already dead and another, 56, seriously injured.

The incident happened in the early hours of the morning while the runners were at an altitude of 1,340 metres (4,400 feet).

According to a 30-year-long study - between 1987 and 2016, 58 people were known to have been killed by lightning in the UK - an average of two people per year.

The average annual risk of being struck and killed during that same time period was one person in 33 million.