Two British tourists have reportedly drowned in the sea off Tenerife after trying to rescue their children. The female victims - named in reports as Barathe Ravikumar (39) and Uma Ramalingam (42) - went to help the youngsters after they were swept away by a wave.

But the women then got into difficulties themselves near the resort of Playa Paraiso in the south-west of the island on Sunday.

The youngsters - aged 10 and 14 - were rescued by tourists and hotel workers while a helicopter from the emergency services pulled a third woman (38) out of the water.

She and the two children survived but the two other women, who were also rescued from the sea, each suffered a cardiac arrest and attempts to revive them were unsuccessful.

The 10-year-old child was reportedly taken to hospital with hypothermia, while the 14-year-old was treated for minor bruises at the scene.

Ms. Ramalingam was a consultant obstetrician at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Manchester.

Mr. Olubusola Amu, from the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said "We are greatly saddened to hear the death of Uma who had been working for the Trust for about six years".

"She was a fantastic doctor who brought a lot of hope to the high risk women attending the Women and Children's Unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital".

"This is a terrible shock to everyone who knew Uma. Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time. She will be sorely missed."

A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman said "We are aware the deaths of two British nationals in Tenerife. We are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family".