Horror in Spanish resort loved by UK holidaymakers as 'body of Brit' found in port

The body of a British man was found floating in a port in a Spanish resort loved by UK holidaymakers.

Emergency services rescued the body from the waters in Puerto de La Duquesa, Manilva, on the Costa del Sol.

Local news outlet Manilva.ws reports gunshots were heard in the area shortly before the man's body was discovered before 4:30am on Sunday. However, Civil Guard sources said they were not aware of any gunfire and ruled out any connection with the incident.

The Provincial Fire Brigade, Civil Guard and local police were all mobilised to the scene after the 122 emergency services received calls.

A spokesman for the Civil Gaurd said: "I can confirm the dead man is British. The death is still being investigated but at this stage everything is pointing to it being an accident."

The fire brigade spent an hour trying to recover the body after it was spotted between boats, with health services pronouncing him dead at the scene.

It was not immediately clear this morning if the man, who was fully-clothed and thought to be around 60 years old, owned a boat in the marina.

A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said late yesterday: "The emergency services have recovered the lifeless body of a man found in the water at La Duquesa port in the municipality of Manilva.

"The alarm was raised just before 4.30am on Sunday. Local police, Civil Guard and firefighters were among the emergency responders mobilised. The man was pronounced dead at the scene."

La Duquesa is one of the coast's most popular destinations in the summer, attracting lots of British tourists.

The municipality of Manilva is in the province of Malaga - an incredibly popular tourist hotpost that sees millions of visitors every year.

In 2024, Brits made up the largest number of visitors, with 1,183,629 - a 7.2% increase on the previous year. Brits were followed by Germans with 341,568 and French with 334,176.