A British couple has drowned following an attempted rescue of their children on Tonel Beach on the Portuguese Algarve coast.
The incident on the beach, popular for surfing due to its notorious waves even when calm, will come as a warning to travelers of the dangers of the Atlantic coastline.
Four holidaymakers have died in total in the rescue attempt, including another British tourist and a German national.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: "It appears a group of British nationals have got into trouble while swimming off the south-west coast…Three British nationals have died and three are in hospital"
The children whose original rescue had been the concern were washed onto the shore by the waves shortly after the adults had jumped in to save them.
Tourists died despite the deployment of a lifeboat by the Portuguese authorities.
It is suspected that lifeguards were not on the beach because it is not currently high-season.
