Parents die saving children from drowning

Three British parents have drowned along with a German national after they went to the rescue of children in difficulties off the coast of the Algarve.

Two of the Britons were named as Bob and Deb Fry by neighbours in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.

Several adults, including the four who lost their lives, were understood to have dived into the sea off Sagres on the south west coast of Portugal on Monday afternoon to save children who had got into trouble.

The three children were reported to have suffered minor injuries after they were thrown back on to the beach, but four adults lost their lives.

Two children have been left without a father and a mother and two children have been left without a mother as a result of the tragedy, the British Foreign Office confirmed.

Three adults required hospital treatment and one of them, a father, remains in hospital but is reported to be in a stable condition.

The commander of the local maritime police, Pedro Pereira, revealed that the Tonel beach in the resort town of Sagres, where the tragedy occurred, was closed for the winter and signs warned bathers that there were no lifeguards on duty.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Yesterday afternoon at 4.50pm local time, three British and one German family are at the Tonel beach in Sagres, on a sunny and clear-sky day, when some of the children ran to the water near by a rock in the middle of the beach.

"Suddenly they called for help and their families' adults with some other people nearby ran to rescue them from the sea. There are some currents and some deep waters that caused them to get into distress.

"They asked for help and all the families that are with them, they ran to help them, also some people that were close by. Some parents did not find a way to rescue their sons and also to rescue themselves.

"Because summer season is concluded by September 3, the Tonel beach is closed and there is no life-saving personnel. Reinforcing this, at the entry to the beach there is a sign to warn of this fact."