Scots man dies during Tenerife trip on holiday

A SCOTTISH holidaymaker has died after getting into difficulties while diving in the Canary Islands.

Reports suggest the man suffered a heart attack. Picture: PA

William Clephane, 59, from Scone, Perthshire, had been diving with an instructor and four other tourists during a holiday to the Puerto del Carmen resort on Lanzarote.

According to local reports, he was taken ashore where waiting paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead on the quayside.

The incident happened on Saturday morning around 10:30am. Mr Clephane was said to have been on holiday with his family, and had been taking part in a “discover diving” course with a British-run company called Safari Diving.

A local investigating judge has been put in charge of a routine inquiry into Mr Clephane’s death, although police sources said yesterday there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances.

Local reports said the dead man suffered a heart attack in the water.

A police source said: “The initial inquiries all point to him dying as the result of a tragic accident. It appears he became nervous and was waving his arms around and swallowed water. The post-mortem should determine exactly what happened.”

Yesterday, Mr Clephane’s family in Scotland said they were still waiting for answers about how he died.

At Mr Clephane’s home in Scone, a man who did not give his name but who confirmed he was Mr Clephane’s son said the family was still trying to come to terms with what had happened.

He said: “We don’t know exactly what happened yet, and we are waiting to find out the results. We know he was diving when it happened.”

The post-mortem examination took place over the weekend, though the preliminary results have not been made public.

A Foreign Office spokesman said assistance was being provided to the family.