Egyptian man drowns in Cyprus after diving into sea to retrieve mobile phone

A 27-year-old Egyptian man has drowned off Lady’s Mile Beach in Cyprus after reportedly jumping into the sea to retrieve his mobile phone, authorities have confirmed.

The incident happened on August 15 during a boat trip in the Lady’s Mile area. A second man, reportedly a Jordanian national, also got into difficulty in the water but survived after receiving immediate first aid.

The Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) confirmed the Egyptian man's death on Tuesday, saying a post-mortem examination conducted on Monday established drowning as the cause of death.

“We are saddened to confirm the tragic death of an Egyptian national at Lady’s Mile Beach on August 15,” the SBA said.

“Our thoughts are with the family at this extremely difficult time. SBA police are investigating the circumstances of the death.”

He reportedly jumped in after his phone

According to Philenews, the deceased was aboard a catamaran carrying about 15 people during an organised outing when his mobile phone reportedly fell into the sea.

An eyewitness said the man jumped into the water in an attempt to recover the phone.

He was later seen floating unconscious on the surface.

Other passengers pulled him back onto the boat and attempted to administer first aid, but they were unable to revive him.

A second man, identified as Jordanian, also experienced difficulty during the incident. He received immediate first aid and subsequently regained consciousness.

SBA police are continuing to investigate exactly what happened and have said that no further information could be released at this stage.

The tragedy comes amid a weekend of several serious incidents along Cyprus' coastline.

At CTO Beach in Larnaca, a mother drowned in front of her husband and three children. Her two daughters remained in hospital following the incident.

Meanwhile, in Protaras, a seven-year-old girl and a man were injured when an inflatable “sofa” they were riding was struck by a jet ski operated by a 17-year-old.

The incidents have also reignited concerns about lifeguard coverage.

Lifeguard federation chairman Polys Pallikaros described the practice of closing lifeguard towers at 6pm during the summer as “criminal”, particularly after the Larnaca mother drowned at around 6:20pm — shortly after the lifeguard shift had ended.

The Lady’s Mile death remains under investigation, with authorities yet to disclose whether any additional factors contributed to the fatal incident.