A 49-year-old British father hero is believed to have died after disappearing beneath the waves while trying to save his 15-year-old son who survived an ordeal on the paradise island of Mauritius.

A heroic British father is feared dead after disappearing beneath the waves while trying to save his 15-year-old son who survived the ordeal on the paradise island of Mauritius.

The 49-year-old man had tried to rescue his teenage son, who was swept away by large waves in the Pomponette lagoon, on the south coast of the island, according to local media.

But during the rescue, the British national found himself in difficulty and when rescuers reached the 15-year-old boy shortly after 10.15am on Saturday, his father had disappeared beneath the waves.

Although his son was successfully rescued, the search for the man lasted until Saturday evening and continued on Sunday. He has not yet been found and is feared dead.

The police were called to the paradise beach and they arrived on Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m. They launched a massive search operation, involving the National Coast Guard and a police helicopter.

The man, his partner and his son arrived in Mauritius on Friday March 22 and were due to leave about a week later, just before Easter Sunday, March 30.

Weather forecasts for the area reveal a storm was heading towards the island paradise this weekend and it is likely this had an impact on large waves sweeping the man and his son out to sea.

Forecasts had already called for strong winds and possible three-metre waves on Friday and a high swell warning was put into effect on Sunday in anticipation of the storm hitting the island on Monday night.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities. »

This comes as a British national drowned in front of his wife after being swept away by strong currents while swimming off an Indian beach.

The 72-year-old died on Friday evening at Talpona Beach in Canacona, in the western state of Goa. Times of India reports.

Local police said he was swept away by a strong current after going swimming with his wife.

The couple raised the alarm as they drifted in the sea and rescuers brought them both ashore on jet skis, according to local media.

Both were given CPR and, although his wife was able to be revived, the Briton was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

The married couple regularly visited Goa and had been vacationing in the area for 15 days when the husband died, police said.

Sources told local media that the Briton married his wife a year and a half ago.

An autopsy was ordered after police deemed the man’s death “unnatural”.