Incident Happened off Tenerife
Two British tourists have been killed after drowning in the sea off the Tenerife coast whilst trying to help save their children.
The victims, named as 42-year-old Uma Ramalingam and Barathi Ravikumar, 39, were reportedly trying to help the youngsters caught in the horror.
But both victims got into trouble themselves. The youngsters were rescued by tourists and hotel workers whilst an emergency helicopter pulled a third person out.
The children and third woman survived, however, tragically both women passed away.
A spokeswoman for Canary Islands emergency services said: “At just after 6pm yesterday afternoon we received several calls alerting us to two people who were in difficulties in the sea.
“Witnesses rescued two women and two children from the sea. An emergency helicopter located a fifth person in the sea, a woman, and one of the respondents dangled out of the craft and pulled her out.
“Staff from the Canaries health service, a doctor from a nearby health centre and another doctor who was at the scene found that two women were in cardiac arrest and tried to give them advanced CPR without success.
“They later certified the death of both women. They also helped stabilise the other people, taking a woman and a child to hospital.”
Dr Ramalingam was a consultant obstetrician at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
Mr Olubusola Amu, from the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are greatly saddened to hear the death of Uma who had been working for the Trust for about six years.
“She was a fantastic doctor who brought a lot of hope to the high risk women attending the Women and Children’s Unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital.
“This is a terrible shock to everyone who knew Uma. Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time. She will be sorely missed.”
