UK tourists in Greece warned after Brit dies in front of 'horrified wife'

A British tourist has drowned swimming off the coast of a Greek holiday hotspot in front of his horrified wife. The man, 76, who has not been named, was visiting Kalymnos, one of Greece's Dodecanese Islands that is situated next to the Turkish mainland.

The incident occurred on Tuesday after the man and his wife had travelled by boat from the nearby island Kos, to the south of Kalymnos, where they were swimming in the ocean near the island's Vathi port as the mercury hit 25C.

The man was on a costal tour in Mugla Province and jumped into the Mediterranean to cool off - but then reportedly struggled to get back into the boat, causing panicked passengers to call emergency services, who rushed to the beach.

READ MORE Defiant UK tourists take action after Tenerife and Lanzarote protests

A team of coastguards, police and divers in two boats pulled him from the water but they were unable to save him and he was declared dead at the scene. The man has not been named by authorities or Greek media this week.

The Kalymnos port authority has launched an investigation into the incident. Kalymnos is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos and Leros: the latter is linked to it through a series of islets. Kalymnos lies between two and five hours away by sea from the island of Rhodes.

The island belongs to the Dodecanese island group and is located close to the Turkish mainland. The island is known for its rocky natural landscape and it houses several rock climbing clubs, as well as an annual climbing festival. In addition to its lovely scenery, Kalymnos boasts a long sponge-diving tradition.

Kos is a popular go-to for Brit tourists and welcomes thousands of UK holidaymakers each and every year.