Emergency services worked for more than half an hour to save Irish man who drowned in Portugal

The Irish man, aged 52, got into difficulty while swimming in the sea in Portugal.

Emergency services worked for more than 30 minutes to save an Irish man who died after getting into difficulties in the sea off Portugal on Saturday afternoon, according to an eyewitness.

The 52-year-old man was in southern Portugal with his wife and was swimming in the sea at Fisherman’s Beach in Albufeira when he started to struggle in the water at around 1pm on Saturday.

Two locals who saw him in difficulty attempted to rescue him. The alarm was raised and lifeguards on the beach rescued the two local men after they also got into difficulty while going to the Irish man’s aid.

Emergency services, including the fire service, medics, and maritime and local police, went to the scene and the Irish man was pulled from the water.

Although attempts were made to resuscitate the man, he was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor, according to the Portuguese maritime authority.

He had not been named last night. His wife, who was in the area at the time, has been provided with psychological help, according to police. She is understood to have seen the tragedy unfolding.

Carrigaline-born Sarah McCarthy witnessed the scene from her apartment, having moved to the property overlooking the beach just three weeks ago.

“At around 1pm, I was in my apartment when I heard all the sirens going off,” she told the Irish Examiner.

She said seven units of emergency services attended the scene. 

The sea in the area “was quite tumultuous” at the time, said Ms McCarthy, who praised the emergency services.

They spent around 40 minutes on the beach trying to resuscitate him. The emergency services were amazing.

Ms McCarthy said that the man’s wife was also in difficulty in the water and had to be rescued. She added that the sea in the area can be rough at times, even when weather conditions are good.

The man’s body was taken to a forensic science laboratory. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is “aware of the case and is providing consular assistance”.