British tourist dies in horror surfing accident on holiday in India

Expert body surfer dies after a ‘rough wave swept him and crashed him onto the dune’ on Varkala Beach in Kerala

File: Lifeguards said the sea had been relatively calm in recent days and Varkala Beach (pictured) was fully open to bathers (AFP via Getty Images)

A British tourist has died in a horror accident while body surfing on a beach in India.

The man, described as an expert body surfer by police, died at Varkala Beach in Kerala on Friday morning after a “rough wave swept him and crashed him onto the dune”, reportedly causing head and neck injuries.

It has been reported that he was holidaying with his wife at a beachside hotel, having arrived in Varkala the day before the fatal incident.

An eyewitness told local media: “He along with another lady was seen swimming and body surfing at the beach from morning.”

The accident is believed to have happened at around 11.30am local time when the beach was full of people, according to the New Indian Express.

One of the lifeguards who was on duty at the time of the incident said: “The person was doing body surfing on the waves when a rough wave swept him and crashed him onto the dune. He suffered injuries on the head and neck and we gave him first aid and took him to the hospital.”

The lifeguard added that the beach had been calm with visitors allowed on it for the two days prior to the incident.

A police spokesman told the newspaper: “We have completed the inquest and the body has been sent for postmortem at Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. From the preliminary investigation, the accident happened because of rough waves while he was body surfing.”

It added that the incident has been reported to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), the Indian High Commission and the British High Commission in Delhi.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed to The Independent: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in India.”

The Independent has contacted Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police for comment.

Friday’s incident came just two weeks after another British tourist drowned while on holiday in India, having been swept out to sea with his wife.

Vijay Tulshidas Daswani, 72, died at Talpona beach in Goa on the evening of 22 March after going for a swim just after 6pm.

Harish Raut Dessai, a police officer at Canacona police station, told The Independent the couple were dragged out to sea by a “strong wave”.

Lifeguards rushed to rescue the pair and brought them to shore. While the woman was revived, the man could not be saved.

Mr Daswani, from Mapesbury in London, was taken to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead.