Majorca drowning: Friends pay tribute to father who died with son - Telegraph.co.uk

The family, which was staying at the Balmoral Hotel, went to take photographs of the scenery from steps cut into the rock.

A close friend of Mr Selby's revealed yesterdaySUN how the father-of-one had tried to save his son in vain because he never learned to swim.

Graham Klerks, who is staying at the family's home in Hornchurch, Essex, while visiting from Australia, said: "The tragic thing was George couldn't swim, as I understand from speaking to Tom, one of George's brothers.

"Louis and George were there and Louis was paddling on the beach up to his knees and a big wave came in and took him out and George jumped in after him.

"George going out to rescue Louis is him to a tee. He couldn't swim but I can't imagine him standing by the side and just watching his son drown."

Mr Klerks, 31, said Mr Selby had married two years ago after meeting his future wife when she moved next door to his family home.

They had recently moved to a three-bedroom house and had only flown out to the Spanish island on Friday.

"It was very much their dream holiday – they normally went away to Clacton on Sea, but this was their holiday of a lifetime," Mr Klerks added.

He has heard from Mrs Selby via text message since the accident and said: "She is holding it together for the kids as best she can but it must be incredibly hard right now."

Mr Selby, one of five, worked as an assistant manager at the second hand shop Cash Concepts, where he met Mr Klerks.

"We remained best mates after I left the UK," he added. "We were going to just spend some time together while I was up this way. You pretty much couldn't ask for a more decent guy than George.

"He was quite a straight forward guy. He was a good father as far as I saw. He loved the three boys."

Mr Klerks, who is a banker, said Louis was "a bit like his dad" and was "full of energy".

He said Mrs Selby was being comforted by her mother Beverley Hart with her older sons Mitchell, 14, and Dylan, 12.

Mrs Selby's sister Melissa Silwood, whose 10-year-old daughter Olivia was also on holiday with the family, said the mother-of-three was left "devastated" over the accident.

Miss Silwood, 33, said: "My sister Abby is devastated, she can hardly talk. George was a good dad, everyone knew that - he was strict but fair. No-one can believe it's happened."

She described Louis as "loveable".

"Louis was a mischievous little boy but he always happy," she added. "He was always laughing and joking."

Melissa's partner Peter Nash, 38, added: "Apparently George was still alive when they pulled him out but Louis was already dead."

Abigail is due to fly back with the family tomorrow.

"In an instant, a family has been destroyed. This is terrible," said Antoni Pastor, who is mayor of the nearest town to Cala Antena, Manacor, which is some 30 miles east of the Mediterranean island's capital, Palma.

Residents said temperatures had fallen sharply in the past two days after a long heatwave, bringing stormy weather, which makes for rough and treacherous seas.

Several drownings have been reported in the past month, including that of Emilio Miró, the 54-year-old grandson and heir of famous painter Joan Miró.

Mr Selby's family were too upset to comment last night.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the tragic deaths of two British nationals in Majorca on the first of September.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family."