A selfless dad-of-three and his 12-year-old daughter drowned when he tried to rescue her as she was swept away by a rip current.

Rafael Moraes Rangel, 37, had gone to the coast of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, from his home in Ferraz de Vasconcelos for work.

He used the opportunity to take his daughter, Isa Rebeka Oliveira Rangel, to Boraceia Beach in the municipality of Bertioga on 14th February.

But at one point, according to witnesses, Rafael spotted his daughter struggling in the water and went in after her.

But he, too, was taken by surprise by the strong undertow, and the two were carried out to sea.

At around 12.50pm, concerned beachgoers called maritime firefighters, who arrived on the scene with a rescue boat.

They found some of the pair’s belongings on the sand. One item they found was Rafael’s mobile phone, which they answered when it rang unexpectedly.

It was Rafael’s father, who explained that his son and granddaughter had gone to the beach but had failed to return home.

Searches continued, but Rafael’s body was found washed up on the sand at around 6.30pm.

Municipal Civil Guards found Isa Rebeka’s body on nearby Guaratuba Beach at around 6am the next day.

Friends from the church the family attends raised money to bring the pair’s bodies back to Ferraz de Vasconcelos so they could be buried.

They managed to raise BRL 12,000 (GBP 1,900), but the Prefecture of Ferraz de Vasconcelos said it would put on transport for free.

The cash will now go to Rafael’s wife and his two other children, as the dad was the family’s sole breadwinner.

Churchgoer Jocemara Souza said: “In this moment of pain, we ask God to give comfort to their family so they can face this immeasurable pain with serenity and faith.”