British tourist dies at Portuguese scenic spot

An English tourist has died after plunging more than 30ft down a well at a Portuguese beauty spot.

The woman, believed to be in her sixties, was taking pictures of Arade Dam in the Algarve yesterday when she decided to get into a better position.

She sneaked around a gate and entered a fenced-off area, before climbing on to a large piece of metal covering a well.

But seconds later, the 6.5ft-wide lid gave way – and she fell 32ft to her death.

Emergency crews were called to the beauty spot in Silves, where firefighters used specialist equipment including a cable to descend into the well.

They found the woman lying on its concrete bottom and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘Two [firefighters] descended by a cable to try to revive the victim, but without success,’ said the captain Luís Simões, of the local fire department.

The tourist, who is yet to be named, had been on holiday in Albufeira, around 20 miles away, with her husband and two friends when the accident happened.

They had decided to travel to the picturesque town of Silves to tour the Dam, which is renowned for its natural beauty.

Yesterday, the beauty spot was packed with firefighters, paramedics and police as they removed the victim’s body from the scene.

The woman’s husband and friends, who witnessed her death, were overcome with emotion as they watched her being driven away by ambulance, according to reports.

A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We are aware of the death of a British national on June 12 in the Algarve in Portugal.

‘We are providing consular assistance to the family.’