Two die in Goa swim tragedy A man and a woman from Kent have drowned while on holiday in Goa.
Pensioner Stanley Horne, 69, and his carer, 37-year-old Liesel Clare Smith, both believed to be from the Dover area, were swimming in the sea at Morjim, North Goa, on Sunday afternoon when they perished. Police reports say the pair had been drinking in a beach-shack bar before going swimming in rough weather, but were not drunk. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that two British nationals died on Morjim Beach in Goa on April 6." It is understood that Mr Horne and Ms Smith met while working at the same hospital, and had been close friends ever since. For the past four years, Mr Horne was said to have been living in Goa during the winter. Ms Smith has gone out to visit him when the tragedy happened. Mr Horne had three sons and a daughter, as well as a number of grandchildren. His daughter-in-law Heather, who is married to Mr Horne's eldest son David, is quoted as saying that the pair had drowned after Ms Smith got into difficulty as she swam in the water and he had tried to rescue her. She said there were several witnesses on the beach who had seen what had happened. She said: "The sea was rough, it was an accident that could have happened anywhere." Mr Horne was described as a, "quiet, gentle man" who had fallen in love with India the first time he had gone there. Post mortems are due to be carried out and the bodies are then expected to be flown back to the UK. A total of 40 British tourists died in Goa last year, and a further 10 have died in the region this year. The death of Mr Horne and Ms Smith takes 2008's death toll to 12. COMMENT: The B.B.C. contacted me w.r.t. the incident, courtesy of my friend, I did point them in the direction of the Present President of the G.O.A. (U.K.), for his opinion, even though I was the first, to serve as G.O.A. President three stints on a trot. I informed them that this is a stark reality, when people are complacent. This sort of things, do not happen to just foreigners, scores of Indian tourists also succumb to the seas. On the score of life guards, I stated that in my opinion, sadly the Goa Government is found wanting. The Goa Govt. should impose a special tax on all the Hoteliers and guest houses to pay for better patrolling of the beaches, by competent qualified Life Guards. I am putting this out, so that the interview, if it does materialise, does not misconstrue what I stated. -- DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England
