PORTUGAL:Four British children and one German child were yesterday coming to terms with tragedy after powerful currents off southern Portugal left two of them without both their parents, two without their mother and another without a father.
Britons Bob and Debbie Fry, their friend Jean Dinsmore, and an as yet unnamed German man drowned on Monday in the sea close to the port of Sagres.
The four dashed into the sea to save a group of children who had got into difficulties, before being swept away to their own deaths in front of onlookers.
Last night the newly orphaned Rosie and George Fry, 11 and nine, were being cared for by the British consul from nearby Portimao and by relatives.
Roy Dinsmore, who also rushed into the sea, was released from hospital to look after his children Lydia, 11, and Alex, nine.
The German man is believed to be from Niedersachsen.
The Frys, Dinsmores and another family, the Plumbs, from the Wiltshire village of Wootton Bassett, had set out at the weekend for a half-term break in the luxury golfing resort of Parque de Floresta, on the Algarve coast, with their six children.
The tragedy occurred shortly before 5pm on Monday, a bright, sunny afternoon when the sea appeared relatively calm.
Eyewitnesses said a group of children, believed to include the German man's daughter, had swum into the water towards a large rock in the centre of the beach, but had quickly run into trouble and shouted for help. A group of parents, accompanied by other holidaymakers, tried to rescue them.
Reports said that two brothers had been saved by a British man who was dining in a nearby restaurant and heard their cries for help.
A young bodyboarder helped one of the children to shore, while the others were carried back to the beach by the waves.
The four adults were not so lucky. Why the adults died but the children did not is unclear.
The beach where the four died, Praia do Tonel, is a popular surfing spot because of its powerful waves.
However, conditions are difficult for bathers because of hidden rocks close to the shore, strong cross-currents, and rapidly shifting sands.
Pedro Pereira, local maritime police commander, said that since the official swimming season had passed, no lifeguard was stationed at the beach. Signs in Portuguese and English at the entry to the beach warn swimmers about this, he said.