Egyptian man drowns after diving into water for phone

A 27-year-old Egyptian man who died during a boat trip off Lady’s Mile beach on August 15 drowned after reportedly diving into the sea to retrieve his mobile phone, while a second man was rescued during the same incident, Bases authorities said on Tuesday. The Sovereign Base Areas confirmed the death, saying a post-mortem examination carried out on Monday established drowning as the cause. “We are saddened to confirm the tragic death of an Egyptian national at Lady’s Mile Beach on August 15,” the SBA said. “Our thoughts are with the family at this extremely difficult time. SBA police are investigating the circumstances of the death.” According to Philenews, the 27-year-old was aboard a catamaran with around 15 other people who were taking part in an organised event while the vessel was cruising in the Lady’s Mile area. An eyewitness told the news outlet that at some point the man’s mobile phone fell into the sea and he dived into the water in an attempt to retrieve it. Shortly afterwards, he was reportedly spotted floating unconscious on the surface. People aboard the catamaran pulled him from the water and attempted to provide first aid, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. A second person, reported to be a Jordanian national, also found himself in difficulty during the incident. He was given immediate first aid and regained consciousness, according to the same report. SBA police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 27-year-old’s death. “No further information” could be released at this stage, the SBA said. This is the latest amongst a number of seaside incidents over the weekend, which saw a mother lose her life to drowning off the CTO beach in Larnaca in front of her three children and husband. Her two daughters remain in hospital. In a separate incident on Saturday afternoon two people were injured when the inflatable ‘sofa’ they were riding was hit by a jet ski driven by a 17-year-old in Protaras. A man and his seven year old daughter were injured and hospitalised as a result of the accident. Lifeguard federation chairman Polys Pallikaros said that closing lifeguard towers at 6pm during the summer months was “criminal”. The mother drowned at around 6.20pm, shortly after the end of the lifeguard shift.