Two British Holidaymakers Drown in Goa
08th April 2008
A Foreign Office spokesperson has confirmed that a British man and woman drowned off the coast of Goa on Sunday. The spokesperson said: “We can confirm that two British nationals drowned at Morjim beach in Goa on April 6. We have informed their next of kin and are providing consular assistance.”
Stanley Horne, 70, was an ex-pat who had lived in Goa for the past four years, while Liesel Smith, 37, was on holiday visiting him. The pair both hailed from Dover, Kent, and had become firm friends while they were both working as nurses at the same hospital.
Ms Smith was thought to have been swimming at a beach in the resort when she was pulled far out to sea by a strong current and got into difficulty. Mr Horne had tried to save his friend, but the sea swallowed him up too. Mr Horne’s daughter-in-law Heather Horne said that there were several eyewitnesses on the beach who saw the accident happen. She said: “The sea was rough, it was an accident that could have happened anywhere.”
Mrs Horne, who is married to Mr Horne’s son David, described her late father-in-law as a “quiet, gentle man” who had fallen in love with India on his very first visit to the country. She said: “Our consolation is that he was where he would have wanted to be when he died.”
It is thought that post mortems will be carried out on the bodies before they will be released back to the UK. The death of Ms Smith and Mr Horne brings the total number of British people who have died in the Indian state this year to 12.
Source:
Metro
Press Association