Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Briton, 26, dies ‘after being struck by lightning’ while paddleboarding in Greece

‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities’

Flora Bowen
Tuesday 30 May 2023 04:41 BST
A 26-year-old British man has died in Greece
A 26-year-old British man has died in Greece

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

An investigation has been launched into the death of a British man amid reports he was struck by lightning while paddleboarding in Greece.

The unnamed man was in the sea off the beach in Agia Agathi, Rhodes, as his girlfriend filmed him from the beach, according to local media.

The Port Authority of Rhodes confirmed to the PA news agency the man was 26 years old and a British national but would give no further information.

A spokesperson said: “This is an active case so we cannot give more details at the moment.”

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities.”

Greek newspaper Rodiaki reported lightning struck the water near the man shortly before 1.30pm local time on Tuesday, causing him to fall in the water injured.

The newspaper reported that a passer-by, who it named as a Brazilian footballer who plays for a local side, waded into the water to pull the man back to shore, where medics then took him to a local hospital before he was declared dead.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in