The partner of a British tourist who died when he was struck by lightning while paddleboarding off Rhodes had beseeched him to return to shore when the storm hit.

Scott Seddon’s girlfriend repeatedly shouted “come out” when it became clear the 26-year-old from Liverpool was struggling in the waters off Agathi beach. The woman, who has not been named, was on land filming Seddon, an accomplished sportsman, with her mobile phone as the tragedy unfolded.

“I suddenly heard [her] crying for help,” said Wander Machado, a Brazilian footballer who rushed into the sea to pull the Briton from the water. “I administered first aid. At some point I could see him turning blue. He was trying to breathe,” he told Greece’s 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 said he instantly realised “how crucial every second was” when he found Seddon face down in the water.

Read more: yahoo