Girlfriend of Brit paddleboarder killed by lightning strike in Greece shouted for him to 'come out'

The girlfriend of the British paddleboarder who was killed by a lightning strike in Greece shouted for him to 'come out'.

The horrific incident happened on Monday (29 May), while the tourist, Scott Seddon, 26, was visiting the Agia Agathi area of Rhodes with his girlfriend, who was recording him from the beach.

Seddon's partner repeatedly shouted for him to 'come out' and return to shore when it became clear things were taking a turn for the worse as the storm intensified.

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Emergency services rushed to the scene and the man was carried to the shore where rescuers attempted to save his life.

Seddon, from Liverpool, was then taken to the Archangelos Health Center, where medics tried desperately to resuscitate him but, tragically, they were unable to do so.

The tourist's girlfriend, who has not yet been named, attempted to beckon him out of the dangerous waters when it became clear the young man was struggling.

She was on land filming Seddon, an accomplished athlete, when the harrowing ordeal went down.

"I suddenly heard [her] crying for help," said Wander Machado, a Brazilian footballer who swam into the Agathi sea to pull the Seddon from the water.

"I administered first aid. At some point I could see him turning blue. He was trying to breathe," he told local news network, Mega TV.

"I thought he would come to. The girl was saying his name, she was saying 'I love you', 'I love you' and, then suddenly, his eyes closed."

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The 47-year-old witness also recalled just how instantly he realised 'how crucial every second was' when he found the Brit face down in the water.

Prior to the tragedy, Machado said could see the lightning bolts around Seddon's surfboard in the rain.

"I turned to a friend," he reported, remembering the exact moment he first saw the tourist in the sea, "and said 'we should tell him to get out'."

The Central Port Authority of Rhodes has since launched an investigation into the Brit's tragic death.

Rhodes coastguard officials began taking testimony from beachgoers who witnessed the tragedy, with the video Seddon's girlfriend captured said to be absolutely crucial to the investigation.

They said in a statement: "This is an active case so we cannot give more details at the moment."

The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Rhodes and are in contact with local authorities."

Forensic scientists at the island's local hospital said an autopsy will be conducted to officially determine Seddon's cause of death.