Surfer Jaime Revultea has relived the moment Debbie and Bob Fry and friend Jean Dinsmore lost their lives trying to save their children from drowning.

The three spotted their children being washed out to sea and ran screaming into the water.

Mr and Mrs Fry, of Springfield Crescent, were with Mrs Dinsmore and her husband Roy and friends Dean and Andrea Plumb on holiday.

They were staying at the Parque da Floresta Resort in the village of Burgau, which is in the Vila do Bispo area.

They had all run into the sea to try to save their children who were caught up in the tides and currents on Monday afternoon. But while the children were rescued, tragically Bob, Debbie and Jean lost their lives. A German man who helped with the rescue mission also died.

Roy Dinsmore and the Plumbs needed hospital attention but were due to be released last night.

The children escaped with minor injuries.

Mr Revultea, 26, of Cadiz in Spain, is a bodyboarder and boatbuilder and was at the Portuguese beach to go surfing.

"I had been in the water earlier but I'd had to leave because of the strong tide," he said.

"I saw the kids playing in the water near the big rock.

"It was very dangerous.

"The first guy in the water was a guy in his 20s but he came out again.

"I went into the water twice, to waist height, to try to rescue them but the current was just too strong.

"Everyone in the area knows that the left side of the rock, where the kids were playing, is the most dangerous place.

"Then two men and a woman jumped into the water.

"One of the women was fully clothed. She was wearing sunglasses and screaming and running out into the water.

"Three body boarders who were in the water approached the kids after they saw the commotion.

"One of the kids stood on the rock. Another was taken on their body boards to land."

Finnish couple Markuu and Mari Jussilia, and their daughter Elle are holidaying in the area and were on the beach just hours before the tragedy.

But they left as the current got stronger and stronger.

"I surf this area but I would never go on the left hand side of that rock," said Markuu.

Mari said: "And I never go in the water at all. I know it's too dangerous."

A local fisherman said: "The tide is very, very strong in that area and when this happened the waves were one to one-and-a-half metres high."

A statement from The Vigia group, which runs the Parque da Floresta resort, said: "Everyone at The Vigia Group is deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy. We are, of course, doing all we can to help the children and the families of those who have been lost."

Exactly what happened during the incident remains unclear, but it has been reported that George and Rosie Fry, aged nine and 11, were playing with a German child in the waves when all three got into difficulties.

Bob, 53, and Debbie, 49, rushed into the sea to try to save their children.

But when they themselves began to struggle their friend Jean Dinsmore, 43, waded in to help.

All three drowned soon after.

The father of the German boy swam out to save his son and brought him to safety on the shore.

But moments after hauling him onto the beach he died of a heart attack.

According to reports George and Rosie Fry were then brought back to shore by another man at the beach.

In a joint statement issued through the Foreign Office, the families of the three Wootton Bassett victims said: "We are deeply shocked by the events of Monday and need time to come to terms with the loss of three of our loved ones.

"Our priority now is to provide support to the bereaved children involved and ask that the media respect our privacy and that of our family and friends at this very difficult time."