Two Brit teens die in Rhodes parasailing accident

ATHENS: Two British teenagers have died and another is injured after a parasailing accident while on holiday in Greece.

The trio, including two brothers, aged 15 and 13, and their 15-year-old female cousin, were being towed when a rope holding their parasailing parachute snapped, the Greek coastguard told the PA news agency. A 13-year-old boy and the 15-year-old girl were killed while the surviving boy is in a “serious condition with multiple injuries” in a hospital in Rhodes.

The trio are said to have been found on rocks near Lindos on the island of Rhodes. The accident happened on Wednesday at about noon local time and the two people connected with the speedboat have been arrested. The Greek coastguard spokesman told PA: “They were following a speedboat. The rope was cut. The boy and the girl were killed and another was heavily injured and brought to hospital. It is under investigation about how the rope was cut.”

The bodies of the teenagers were found by members of the coastguard and the fire department who had been contacted by the person who controlled the boat, according to the spokesman. He said: “The guy who controlled the speedboat and another person were arrested.”

High winds had caused the group to drift towards the rocks, Greek media reported. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it had been liaising with the family of the teenagers.

A FCDO spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of two British people following their death in Rhodes, and are in contact with the Greek authorities.”