Cromer man who drowned in Cyprus had history of heart problems

Ralph Raby drowned whilst on holiday in Cyprus at a beach near Paralimni

A British man on holiday in Cyprus died by drowning, a coroner has concluded.

An inquest heard Ralph Raby, 70, from Cromer, had a history of heart problems.

He had been swimming with his brother and another relative when they found him face down in the sea.

Geoffrey Raby said he attempted resuscitation before paramedics took his brother to hospital in Famagusta, where a consultant said he thought Ralph had had a heart attack.

Ralph Raby, a former IT consultant, had been staying at his brother's villa in the Paralimni area with his wife and other family members.

He died on 28 August after swimming at nearby Kapparis Beach.

Heart seizures

Norfolk coroner, Yvonne Blake, said the medical cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning as "it's difficult to get the cause of death abroad where they work different systems".

The inquest, in Norwich, heard Mr Raby described in his brother's statement as "not a strong swimmer".

In another statement his doctor, Mark Wells, explained that Mr Raby had cardiomyopathy of the heart and wore a pacemaker for an irregular heartbeat.

He had also had heart seizures in the past.

Concluding the inquest, the coroner said "Mr Ruby was found floating with his face in water".

"It is not known what caused this, but a post-mortem examination in Cyprus has decided that he died of asphyxiation due to drowning," she said.