Report updated on 1 August at 09.45h.
Two British children who drowned off the coast of Catalonia have been named as 13-year-old Ameiya Del Brocco and her 11-year-old brother Ricardo.
The siblings, from Birmingham, encountered difficulty in the water at Llarga beach in Salou, in the province of Tarragona, at around 8.45pm on Tuesday. Their father, Ricardo Sr, attempted to rescue them but had to be pulled from the sea himself.
A friend of the family, Holly Marquis-Johnson, launched a GoFundMe page and shared heartfelt tributes to the children. Ameiya, affectionately called Maya, was remembered as ‘intelligent, thoughtful and growing into a strong young woman’. Her brother, Ricardo Jr – known to his family as Jubs – was described as ‘playful, kind and always smiling’.
Marquis-Johnson said: ‘Nothing could ever prepare a parent for the pain of losing a child, let alone losing two. Their absence has left an unbearable silence not just for their parents, but for their whole family, who were incredibly close and shared an unbreakable bond.’
‘Their mum and dad, Shanice and Ricardo, are absolutely heartbroken. But they’re not grieving alone. Their siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents and close friends are all devastated by this loss. Maya and Jubs were surrounded by a family who adored them, and who are now left trying to make sense of life without them.’
The GoFundMe campaign aims to help the family with repatriation and funeral expenses. A photo posted with the appeal (main image) appears to show the siblings smiling on the beach during their holiday, standing beside a lilo.
Local authorities reported that a yellow warning flag had been raised at the beach earlier that evening to indicate dangerous swimming conditions. Ricardo Sr became overwhelmed during the rescue attempt and had to be resuscitated onshore.
Emergency responders were quickly on the scene, but efforts to save the children were unsuccessful.
The Medical Emergency System deployed seven ground units and a team of psychologists to support the family in the aftermath. In addition, local police in Salou, the Catalan Mossos d’Esquadra, and firefighters were all involved in the response.
Chief Inspector José Luis Gargallo of the local police said: ‘When the officers arrived, there were three people with significant difficulties in getting out of the sea. All resuscitation manoeuvres were performed on the children, but without success. We did everything possible. We put the father in a safe area and also took one of the minors and performed resuscitation on him but without success.’
He also said: ‘The lifeguards are on duty at the beach where these British youngsters died until 8pm. They started work at 9.30am. Unfortunately the alert came in at 8.48pm, so 48 minutes after the lifeguard service had finished.’
‘This has been an accident but as always with these sorts of accidents, a thorough investigation will take place to see if there are things that can be improved and if they can there will be improvements,’ he added.
Llarga Beach in Salou, a destination frequented by both tourists and locals, does have lifeguards stationed during operating hours.
The family had been staying at the nearby Hotel Best Negresco, a four-star establishment.
A staff member told local media: ‘The hotel is doing all it can at the moment to assist the family. The children’s father is here at the moment and is not in hospital. The hotel found out yesterday what had happened. Everyone at the hotel is distraught.’
Separately, a German holidaymaker drowned the same day in the nearby town of Cambrils, also located in the Tarragona province.
Authorities reported that the deaths brought the total number of beach-related fatalities in Catalonia since the start of the summer season on 15 June to 16 in total — five more than had been recorded during the same timeframe last year.
There were 11 reported drowning fatalities along Catalan beaches during last year’s summer period.
Catalonia’s Civil Protection service issued a reminder to beachgoers: ‘If you notice that someone is unwell or has difficulties in the water, you should urgently notify the lifeguard service or call 112 to facilitate their rapid action.’
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Tres turistas ahogados en la playa en Salou. Uno ha podido ser reanimado en la arena y, los otros dos, dos menores de edad, se encontraban más graves. Todos habrían entrado en parada cardiorrespiratoria @mossos @emergenciescat https://t.co/zqeiFMMtPw
— Diari de Tarragona (@diaridtarragona) July 29, 2025
Dues víctimes mortals per ofegament a la platja Llarga de Salou (Tarragonès)
📈 Es tracta de la quinzena i setzena víctimes mortals a les platges catalanes des que el 15 de juny va començar oficialment la campanya d’estiu.
Més informació 👉 https://t.co/CPCYMOOyc4 pic.twitter.com/XDG7NSDpJE
— Protecció civil (@emergenciescat) July 29, 2025
Dos menores británicos mueren ahogados en la playa Llarga de Salou (Tarragona) en un incidente donde sí se pudo rescatar con vida al padre, que también había entrado al agua con sus hijos https://t.co/2ENFk85kXI
— Europa Press (@europapress) July 30, 2025
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.
