A 43-year-old Belgian man died on Tuesday afternoon in the French coastal town of Wimereux, in the French region of Pas-de-Calais, after saving his two sons from drowning.
The man reportedly jumped into the sea to help his two sons aged 17 and 21 as they were struggling in the water. After bringing them ashore, he collapsed while still in the water.
Firefighters and the Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service resuscitated him on the spot, but he later died in a nearby hospital. According to French media, the man suffered a cardiac arrest.
Wimereux, located near the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer on the French Côte d'Opale, is a popular tourist destination for beach holidays.
Third drowning in region
According to France 3, there have been a number of drownings in northern France during this summer's heatwaves. On 21 June, a boy of 16 was found dead on the beach at Malo-les-Bains in Dunkirk, while on 26 June, the body of a 21-year-old man was recovered in the Deûle River in Lille after he jumped from a nearby footbridge.
