A SCOTTISH man has died off the coast of Greece after saving his two grandsons from being swept out to sea.
Jonathan Smith, 61, is said to have drowned after getting into difficulty at Gouves beach in northern Crete.
The Foreign Office has confirmed it is assisting the family of a British man who died in Crete and was in contact with the Greek authorities.
A journalist based in Athens who witnessed the incident told BBC Good Morning Scotland that the man had been on holiday with his wife, daughter and two grandsons.
"They simply went off for a swim and the two young boys, aged 7 and 10, ran into some choppy waters,” she said.
"The grandfather got very upset and unnerved and he went in, tried to save them. He managed to pull them out of these choppy waters ... but in his bid to actually reach these rocks along the beach he simply got exhausted and it was impossible for him to get out."
Carassava added that locals, including two waiters, joined the rescue bid and jumped into the sea.
The two boys were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
"They saw their grandfather – a hero – effectively saving them but losing his life," she said.
The Cretapost website published a report of the incident, in which it says life jackets were thrown to the man.
A local worker told the site: "We tried to pull him ashore but the currents were very strong and we could not."
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