A body has been recovered near the entrance to Albufeira harbour, believed to be that of the 23-year-old British man who went missing last week on the popular tourist beach of Praia do Peneco, according to Portugal's National Maritime Authority (AMN).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 16 June, the AMN said the body was found near the Albufeira harbour entrance and is believed to be that of the young Briton, who disappeared on 11 June.
The alarm was raised at 6.37pm by a fisherman who was in the vicinity, the authority said.
Officers from the Portimão Maritime Police, firefighters from Albufeira Volunteer Fire Brigade, and members of Albufeira's Municipal Civil Protection Service were dispatched to the scene.
Working alongside firefighters, Maritime Police officers recovered the body and transported it to Albufeira Marina, where the death was formally confirmed.
The body was later taken by firefighters to the Barlavento Algarve branch of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences for examination.
The 23-year-old disappeared on Thursday afternoon whilst swimming at the beach with another British national, aged 19. At the time, the maritime authority said the younger man had managed to make it back to shore, before then raising the alarm.
The AMN also confirmed that the British Consulate in Portimão had been notified and informed of the incident, and are now responsible for updating the man’s family.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has said: “We are supporting the family of a British National who died in Portugal and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Source: AMN
Photo credit: LUSA
