Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash

A seven-year-old boy has tragically died and a six-year-old is in a critical condition after drowning on a beach in Spain where no lifeguards were on duty because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The shocking incident occurred at the La Punta beach in the city of Roses, in the northeastern Spanish province of Girona in the Catalonia region.

Local media report preliminary investigations show the parents of the two boys, who have not been named, left them to play on the beach but soon after they looked into the water and saw them floating.

The two boys were rescued and taken back to shore semi-conscious as their relatives tried to reanimate them.

Paramedics then managed to bring them back to full consciousness and they were taken in air ambulances to the Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital in the city of Girona. However, the seven-year-old boy died in the hospital while the six-year-old remains in a critical condition.

Montse Mindan, the Mayor of Roses, told local media: “At the city council we deeply regret what happened. We have been with the relatives from the first moment and we will keep being by their side for whatever they need.

“We usually bring in lifeguards for weekends in June, but we delayed this due to the coronavirus crisis and this year it will start on 3rd July.”

The tragic accident represents the first death this year on the Costa Brava coast in Catalonia, with 17 people reportedly dying last year in Girona.

The boy’s death is the second in the Catalonia region this summer after an 89-year-old man died on Somorrostro beach in Barcelona on 23rd June.

The Spanish Civil Guard will investigate the case and the investigation is ongoing. It is unclear if the boys were related.