A man who died after he was struck by lightning in the sea off the coast of Greece has been named as Scott Seddon from Liverpool.

The 26-year-old was reportedly paddleboarding in the water near Agia Agathi on the island of Rhodes when the weather turned.

Other bathers and tourists escaped to the shore as the thunderstorm began and called out to Mr Seddon, according to Rhodes news site Rodiaki.

His girlfriend was said to be filming him from the shore when the lightning struck.

Local media reported the woman, who has not been identified, also urged Mr Seddon to ‘get out’.

The bolt of lightning is believed to have struck the man at around 1.30pm, with emergency services being called to the scene soon afterwards.

Rescuers from nearby Archangelos health centre performed first aid, but he later died.

A local man who stepped in to get the Brit out of the water told the site: ‘As soon as I got close to him, I saw that he was face down in the water and his face was bruised.

‘I immediately knew that every second counted and began to pull him to land.

‘I was afraid that the same thing might happen to me, since it was still raining, but I didn’t stop.’

Mr Seddon’s parents had reportedly lived on Rhodes for several years.

An spokeswoman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities.’

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