Drowned girl and grandfather named
8:03am Wednesday 22nd August 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013
A five-year-old girl and her grandfather have drowned in waters off a Portuguese beach
A five-year-old British girl and her 66-year-old grandfather who drowned off a Portuguese beach after being swept into the sea have been named by sources.
The bodies of Lara Lewis and Brian O'Dwyer were pulled from choppy waters by fishermen in the tourist resort of Nazare, around 60 miles north of Lisbon, authorities said.
The girl's grandmother was rescued off Salgado beach by local seamen and she was taken to hospital. The incident happened in the picturesque fishing village just before 2pm local time on Tuesday.
It is thought that the five-year-old's parents were sunbathing on the beach when Lara went for a walk with her grandparents, but they strayed outside the area patrolled by lifeguards.
Pictures of the scene showed firefighters crouching down in the sand in the afternoon sunshine, about to move the victims. The body of the grandfather was covered in a blue sheet. It is thought the emergency services attempted to revive Lara for nearly an hour.
According to English-language newspaper The Portugal News, Nazare Port Authority commander Albuquerque e Silva said: "The grandfather was already dead when he was hauled from the water. Emergency services attempted to resuscitate the child, but to no avail.
"The two victims, accompanied by the grandmother, went on a stroll away from the Salgado beach, which is under lifeguard surveillance, and it must have been during this period that they were knocked over and dragged in by the waves."
The Foreign Office said it was in touch with local authorities in the country. A spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of the death of two British nationals in Portugal and we are in touch with the local authorities."
Neighbour David Mason, a translator, said he had known Lara since she was a baby.
He said: "She was a very happy girl who would always say 'hello Dave' when she saw me. This is terribly sad news and for a lot of people it's still sinking in. They were well known across the community and a lot of people are very upset by the news."
