Locals having a great time at the beach were surprised when a small plane crashed into the Descargador Beach near Cala Reona at around 11:30 in the morning, May 8.
The British man was seen floating face down near the light aircraft, said Luis Martinez Escudero, one of the men who helped retrieve the body.
"I put the body on the longboard I was on with the help of a canoeist who also headed to the same spot. We then transferred the dead man into a boat that turned up and took him to a nearby port," Escudero said, according to Daily Star.
They pulled the body from the sea, which was then taken to a nearby port by a pleasure boat.
The 66-year-old man was identified as someone called Paul. Due to the extremely foggy skies, he lost control of his aircraft and plunged into the same. He took off from Aeroclub Totana airdrome in Murcia in southeast Spain.
Although unconfirmed, some local reports indicate that they saw the aircraft performing acrobatic stunts amidst the thick fog before the crash. After pulling out the man's body, police and coastguard divers searched the area for other victims. It was discovered that Paul was indeed alone in the plane. However, an autopsy will still be conducted to determine the old man's cause of death.
British man, 66, dies instantly after his light aircraft crashes into the sea off a Spanish beach https://t.co/EsYkaaL18b
— Distinct Today (@DistinctToday) May 8, 2021
Local Government Shares Unfortunate News
Cartagena mayoress Ana Belen Castejon wrote on Twitter: "My sincere condolences to the friends and loved ones of the man who has died. Sadly nothing could be done to save his life."
Meanwhile, DailyMail reports that a spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination center shared the sad news saying: "We can confirm the death of a man aged 66 who suffered a light aircraft accident in Cala Reona in the municipality of Cartagena."
