A SPANISH couple on holiday in Portugal have died after being swept away by a tidal wave in the popular seaside town of Nazaré.
The pensioners were from the province of Burgos, in the land-locked centre-northern region of Castilla y León, and had gone away for the May bank holiday weekend to the beach location of 10,000 inhabitants, which is about halfway between Oporto and Lisbon but slightly closer to the latter.
They had been out for a walk along the seafront around lunchtime when they were hit by an unexpectedly-high wave.
The Portuguese Navy were called at around 15.00 by coastguard officials who had already sent out a helicopter, speedboat and lifeboat but had been unable to find the holidaymakers.
The bodies of a 77-year-old man and his wife, 75, were found out to sea later in the afternoon.
Nazaré is famous for its tidal waves – in fact, this year, it broke world records with the highest tides on the planet earlier this year.
Its massive waves have always meant Nazaré is heavily frequented by keen surfers.
