11 September 2023 , 12:02
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A British man has tragically died in Greece after being pulled unconscious from the sea and later dying in hospital.
The 57-year-old was found yesterday on a beach in Zakynthos and taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. It comes after a 4-year-old Polish boy was swept out to sea in the same village, Laganas, just yesterday. Despite wearing a life jacket, the child was dragged away from the shore by strong winds before being later rescued by emergency services. Neither the man nor the young boy have been named.
Strong winds are common in Greece, however, due to climate change they have been stronger than usual. In Zakynthos, in the Ionian, the main wind is called the Maistro and delivers a breeze from late May to late September. Historically, the wind in Zakynthos Town during September blows at an average speed of 10.7 mph, but this week they have been around double that.
Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to a British man who died in a gliding accident in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range on Saturday. Mike Evans, 75 — affectionately nicknamed Little Mike because of his height — died after he came off the runway and hit trees as he landed at the Santa Cilia aerodrome near the northern Spanish city of Jaca. Emergency responders received an alert around 4pm saying he was conscious and complaining of neck pain.
Local reports said he was alive for about 40 minutes after the accident but was pronounced dead at the scene after losing consciousness and going into cardiac arrest. Aerodrome director Luis Ferreira, who knew Mike well through the Nimbus Aeroclub based there, confirmed today people were with him as he lost his life. The club said in a Facebook tribute: "So long Mike. A pleasure having known you."
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Another devastated Spanish friend wrote: "Dear Mike. Twenty-five years ago you decided the Santa Cilia Aerodrome was the best place to exercise your passion for gliding and flying over the Pyrenees. From then on you dreamed about the date you’d planned for your arrival every year, until that fateful September 9 2023.