Drowned Briton named as Shropshire businessman
Insider reporters
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19 July 2017
Local police at the scene of the tragedy in Apulia
OSTUNI -The Briton who drowned saving his daughter in the sea at Ostuni has been identified as father-of-two Simon Pearson from Shropshire by local authorities and confirmed by the British Embassy in Rome on Wednesday .
A middle aged British tourist and an Italian beach establishment employee were drowned in rough seas north of this dazzling Apulian coastal resort Tuesday, the Italian coast guard said.
His wife, Emma Jane, said that her husband "did everything" he could to try and rescue his daughter. She told The Times: "They were swimming in the shallows at the beach but the tide pulled them into deeper water. Simon held on to my daughter's hand to keep her afloat but he became unconcsious. I have two young children who have lost their dad. We are all traumatised".
The 49-year-old Italian, Martino Maggi, died trying to save the tourist, aged 48, who was swimming in the Bosco Verde area with his daughter, who was saved by other rescuers, police said.
Ostuni is an increasingly popular destination for British tourists.
A strong mistral wind gusting at up to 15 knots whipped up the sea, leaving a number of bathers in difficulty.
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Simon Pearson