British grandmother drowns rescuing granddaughter in Menorca

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 07:15 · Archive

A 70-year-old British woman drowned while trying to rescue her 10-year-old granddaughter from the sea at a Menorca beach.

A British pensioner has drowned while attempting to rescue her granddaughter from the sea during a family holiday in Spain. The 70-year-old woman died after rushing to help her 10-year-old granddaughter, who got into difficulty in the water on an inflatable boat at Cavalleria Beach on Menorca's north coast around 1pm on Wednesday.

The child began drifting away from the coast towards a rocky area as strong currents pulled her inflatable. Winds gusting at nearly 30mph caused the small inflatable to turn over. The grandmother's husband and daughter also attempted to reach the child as the situation developed.

The grandmother's husband brought her body to shore from the water. Other beachgoers used a rope to pull the daughter and granddaughter to safety. The husband was taken to hospital to be treated for cuts sustained during his rescue attempts, while the child and her mother were treated for panic attacks.

Emergency responders including police, paramedics and firefighters rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised, but there was nothing they could do to save the woman. The family had been staying at a villa in Son Bou on Menorca's central-southern coast for about a week. The local lifeguard service had finished for the season on 15 October, so no professional lifeguards were on duty.

A police investigation into the tragedy is ongoing, with officers to send a report to a local court. The Civil Guard police force is treating the incident as accidental. It is not yet clear where in the UK the family was from.

How it is being reported

• British grandmother, 70, drowns while trying to save granddaughter, ten, from the sea on last day of Spanish holidayThe 70-old woman died after rushing to the aid of the 10-year-old after she got into difficulties in the water in strong currents on an inflatable float.Daily Mail · 29 Oct, 07:06
• Grandma drowns saving girl from blowing away on holiday inflatableA British pensioner has drowned while trying to rescue her granddaughter from the sea on the last day of their Spanish holiday.Metro · 28 Oct, 20:04
• Brit pensioner drowns trying to rescue her granddaughter from the sea in MenorcaThe woman, aged 70, was on holiday with her 10-year-old granddaughter when the incident happened at Cavalleria Beach in MenorcaThe Mirror · 28 Oct, 18:57

In this story: Cavalleria Beach · Menorca · Son Bou · Spain

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log