A British brother and sister who both drowned off a beach in Spain have been named in reports, with more than £24,000 donated to a fundraising page set up in their honour.
Ameiya and Ricardo Junior Del-Brocco, aged 13 and 11 respectively, died after getting into difficulty in the sea during a family holiday in Salou, near Tarragona, on Tuesday evening.
Their father, Ricardo, had also entered the water but was rescued alive by emergency services and taken to hospital after being pulled from the water unconscious, according to local media reports.
A GoFundMe page was set up on Thursday by a friend of the family, Holly Marquis-Johnson, and a relative, Macalia Del-Brocco, to help cover the cost of bringing the children’s bodies home to the UK and “ease the financial burden” of the family – and has so far raised around £25,000.
Ms Marquis-Johnson paid tribute to “Maya and Jubs”, the children’s nicknames, writing: “Maya was intelligent, thoughtful, and growing into a strong young woman.
“Ricardo Junior was playful, kind, and always smiling.
“They brought so much love, laughter, and energy into the lives of everyone around them.
“Their absence has left an unbearable silence not just for their parents, but for their whole family, who were incredibly close and shared an unbreakable bond.”
She said the siblings’ mother and father were “absolutely heartbroken”.
Ms Marquis-Johnson wrote: “Their mum and dad, Shanice and Ricardo, are absolutely heartbroken.
“But they’re not grieving alone. Their siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and close friends are all devastated by this loss.
“Maya and Jubs were surrounded by a family who adored them, and who are now left trying to make sense of life without them.
“This fundraiser has been created to help ease some of the financial burden the family is now facing, covering the costs of bringing Maya and Jubs home to the UK, giving them the dignified farewell they deserve, and supporting their parents and loved ones during this incredibly painful time.”
Emergency services were called to Llarga beach in Salou, near Tarragona, shortly after 8.45pm local time on Tuesday evening, Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency said.
Local police, medical and fire services all attended the incident, while a team of psychologists were also at the scene to assist the victims’ family.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Jose Luis Gargallo, the head of the local police force in Salou, told reporters: “There were three people who were having serious difficulty getting out of the sea.
“There was a father with his son and daughter, of British nationality.
“When they got out, both of them, the boy and girl, aged 11 and 13, showed no signs of life.
“Attempts were made to resuscitate them with CPR, but they were unsuccessful.
“The father, fortunately, was able to be saved. He had swallowed a lot of water, he was exhausted, very fatigued, but the father was able to be saved thanks to the emergency services.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting the family of two British children who have died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”
