MADRID (Reuters) -Two British brothers aged 11 and 13 have drowned off the Spanish beach of Llarga in Catalonia, while their father, who tried to rescue the boys, had to be rescued himself and survived, the regional emergency service said on Wednesday.
A team of psychologists was assisting the family, it added in a statement, without disclosing the names of the victims.
The popular, mostly sandy beach with some rocks on Spain’s northeastern Mediterranean coast had a yellow warning flag hoisted at the time of the drowning on Tuesday evening due to choppy sea conditions, meaning that bathers need to take extra caution when entering the water.
Sixteen people have died so far on Catalonia’s beaches since mid-June, when the summer bathing season officially kicked off, five more than at the same time last year.
More than 700 people drowned in swimming pools and at sea last year in all of Spain, marking the second deadliest year in a decade, the Royal Spanish Lifeguard and First Aid Federation said, as tourist numbers rose to a new record.
(Writing by Andrei Khalip; editing by Emma Pinedo and Mark Heinrich)
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