British father and son drown

The wave surged onto the Mar Menuda in Tossa de Mar in the Costa Brava at about 11am on Wednesday, just as a British couple paused to take pictures of their two young sons, five and seven.

To their parents' horror, both boys were swept into the water, and their father quickly leapt into the sea to try to save them.

He managed to rescue the eldest child and returned to the water for his youngest son, but both were then overcome by the waves as the rest of their family looked on.

They were spotted clinging onto a buoy by firefighters in a helicopter but died before rescue teams managed to reach them, Spanish news agency Efe reported.

Their bodies were eventually found nearly 900 yards away from where the wave originally struck.

So far, the pair have only been identified by their initials, S.H. for the father and J.H. for the son.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "A British father and son drowned at sea after being swept away by a wave."

After the freak accident, the mother and surviving son were taken to the Social Security Health Centre in Tossa de Mar for medical treatment but later released.

They were then taken to a hotel in the town, where they are being comforted by Consul officials.