The two young Brits who drowned off a beach in Salou in the early hours of this morning had drunk "a large amount of alcohol" before going for a swim in the sea.

The 24-year-old woman and 29-year-old man had been out drinking with three other friends, who also went for a swim off Playa Larga in Salou, despite the strong winds and cold weather.

Alberto Hierro, head of Public Safety in Salou, lamented the deaths of the two young people, but added that they had been "extremely imprudent" and that the tragedy could have been "a whole lot worse" had the other three not been able to get back ashore, something he described as "almost miraculous".

The emergency services were alerted just before 2am by the duty manager at Molinos Park hotel in Salou when it was clear the two victims had disappeared. Firemen, police divers, police officers and a team from the maritime rescue services all went down to the beach to search for the two missing people but soon found the youngsters' bodies washed up on the beach, where they'd been dragged by the current.

Hierro has promised maximum help and cooperation for the families of the victims.  The group of holidaymakers arrived in Salou a few days ago.