A British evangelical pastor and his two children have been named as the victims of the pool tragedy in the Costa del Sol, as their family revealed they could not swim.
Gabriel Diya, 52, and his son Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, are thought to have died as they tried to rescue Comfort Diya, nine, from a resort pool on Christmas Eve.
The horrifying scenes were witnessed by the children’s mother, Olubunmi, 49, and sibling Favour, 14, who had been in the water with her sister moments earlier.
The surviving family are believed to have told Spanish police that their relatives did not know how to swim, except for Comfort, who had “some ideaâ€.
Mr Diya was a respected pastor who led Open Heavens London, an evangelical place of worship in Erith, south-east London, which claims to part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, founded in Nigeria.
A witness described how Mr Diya’s wife stayed calm and prayed while CPR was performed on her husband and children.
It is believed the children attended school in the capital, but Praise-Emmanuel travelled on a US passport as the family visited the Club La Costa World resort near Fuengirola.
Spanish police have since allowed the swimming pool to reopen, despite fears the pump system may have trapped the three victims in the water.
Read for instance The Telegraph and The Express
