A British tourist has died in Turkey after going out on a sightseeing boat and jumping into the water to cool off.

Denis Crawley had been on a coastal tour in Marmaris, with friends when he jumped into the Mediterranean Sea as temperatures reached 25C. He appeared to struggle to get back onto the boat, according to eyewitnesses who say the 73-year-old man's friends quickly raised the alarm.

A team of coastguards, police and divers in two separate boats pulled him from the water and rushed him to paramedics who had been waiting on the beach, but he was declared dead. It is thought he may have had a heart attack. He was taken to Marmaris State Hospital and a post mortem examination is due to take place to determine his exact cause of death.

Mr Crawley died in Marmaris (
Image:
Newsflash)

Medics will be looking to see if he died from cold water shock, where a rapid drop in temperature closes blood vessels and increases blood pressure. Last month an elderly British tourist died in front of his wife after being swept away in the sea off Goa, in India. The woman and her husband, who had been holidaying in the area, both got into trouble and alerted some nearby jet skis off the coast of Talpona beach.

They both needed CPR and while lifeguards managed to revive the woman, her husband was taken to a local hospital in Canacona, but was later confirmed to have died. The Times of India reports the 72-year-old man and his wife got into difficulty in the strong current.