A man and a woman, aged 35 and 37, drowned after trying to save two of their children in rough seas at the beach of Geropotamos, Rethymnon on Tuesday evening. According to local reports, the couple had been camping with their four children at the beach
The parents went into the sea when two of their children, a boy and a girl, who had gone for a swim, started calling for help around 9 pm.
The owner of a nearby taverna managed to save the boy, while two other swimmers rescued the girl.
The couple was found unconscious later by coast guard officers who were unable to resuscitate them. They are believed to have been caught in currents and swept away into the sea.
Deputy commander of Rethymnon Coast Guard, Kyriakos Pattakos, said that at the time of the tragedy, winds were blowing with intensity of 5 or more Beaufort. The victims were “were swept away by the strong currents in the area of northern Rethymnon.”
The four children aged between 7 and 14 were taken in the care of relatives.
Local media report that four more swimmers were rescued by life guards in the same area on Tuesday. Of those, a 47-year-old British national and a 44-year-old Norwegian man were hospitalized in Rethymno.
Edited for Apokoronas News
