A man has drowned on vacation in Bermuda while trying to rescue a 10-year-old boy from the water.
The tragedy unfolded on October 7 when a mom and her 10-year-old son got into trouble in the ocean at Horseshoe Bay Beach, an iconic tourist spot famous for its pink sands on the southwest side of the island, according to ABC7.
Jamie Lambros, a 48-year-old from New York, went into the water to try to help them.
Bermuda Police said that emergency responders were called to the bay just after 3pm to a report of two males in difficulty in the water.
Both were pulled from the water and life-saving measures were carried out.
The pair – both visitors to the island – were taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where Lambros was pronounced dead.
The boy has since been discharged from hospital.
At the time of the tragedy, Lambros had been on a cruise with 11 of his family members, reported ABC7.
He is now the third tourist to die in similar circumstances at the same spot this year, according toThe Royal Gazette.
Two male tourists died earlier this year on separate occasions in March and April, each involving adults trying to save a young person struggling in the water.
Following those fatalities, The Royal Gazette urged Bermuda’s government to review its lifeguard policy.
The Bermuda Lifeguard Service currently employs 12 staff members and Horseshoe Bay Beach is manned from 1 May through to 31 October, the outlet reported. A local minister has previously admitted chronic staff shortages to be an issue.
Lambros’s brother Joey Pappas told ABC7 that there were no rescue skis or emergency personnel teams close by when his brother got into difficulty in the water, as he called for changes to be made at the popular tourist spot.
“If there’s signs and warnings that could have never been at the beach and my brother wouldn’t have been a hero,” he said.
“We want change, we want tourists to be safe. We never want anyone else to feel this pain – ever.”
A GoFundMe has been launched by Lambros’s relatives.
“He died a hero, giving his life so another could live… he was the life of every party, someone whose laughter filled any room, and whose heart was as big as his spirit,” it reads.
“His loss leaves an unimaginable void in all our lives.”
The Independent contacted Bermuda Police for comment.
