A BRITISH diver has died in Tenerife after going into cardiac arrest at sea and being rushed ashore.

The 54-year-old was pronounced dead in the small resort of Abades in the south-east of the holiday island after he was dragged to land following a medical alert.

Efforts to revive him before and after paramedics arrived failed and a judicial investigation is underway into the events leading up to his death.

The incident happened just before 4pm local time yesterday in Abades, regarded as a peaceful place in the municipality of Arico which is popular with locals and some foreigners who own holiday homes.

Its beautiful golden sand beach is known as a fantastic diving spot.

It was not immediately clear this morning if the dead man was on holiday or lived in Tenerife.

A spokesman for a regional government emergency response coordination centre confirmed: “A 54-year-old diver of British origin has died on the Tenerife coast.

“The alarm was raised around 3.50pm.

“An air ambulance and two land ambulances were mobilised along with police and Civil Guard after a local emergency coordination centre took a call to say a diver who needed urgent medical attention was being transferred to land.

“A medical coordinator from the Canary Islands Emergency Service came to the conclusion the patient had gone into cardiac arrest during the call and advised the caller how to practice CPR to try to revive him until expert help arrived.

“The medical experts confirmed he was still in cardiac arrest when they arrived and tried to revive him themselves without obtaining a positive result.

“He was confirmed dead at the scene. Local police helped the air ambulance land on a pier in the area of Abades and cooperated with the rest of the emergency response teams.

“Civil Guard looked after the body until court officials arrived.”

Although Abades is now a small holiday resort, the hill above it was once the site of a whole leprosy village including a hospital and crematorium - built in 1943 - when leprosy was a manor disease on the island.

The leprosy station later became a military training facility.

Civil Guard officers in Tenerife announced two days ago they had reported a number of diving schools including two in Abades for alleged administrative infractions following checks carried out in early February.

Officers said they had discovered faulty equipment and unregistered workers during their checks.

The diving schools found to be at fault were not named.

It was not immediately clear this morning/yesterday morning (FRI) if the dead man had been out with local instructors or was diving on his own.

There was no immediate evidence to suggest his death could be linked to faulty equipment.