Indian-origin British doctor drowns while saving kids

London: An Indian-origin British doctor and one of her relatives drowned while trying to rescue two children off the Tenerife coast in Spain.

Obstetrician Dr Uma Ramalingam, 42, and her relative Dr Barathi Ravikumar, 39, a General Practitioner, were dragged into the sea by a wave on Sunday evening at Playa Paraiso resort, situated at island’s southwest, police said.

The two children, aged 14 and 10, were pulled out and though one was suffering from hypothermia, they survived, as did a 38-year-old woman, who was similarly rescued.

They all belonged to the same holiday group who were sharing a seaside apartment. Mother-of-two Dr Ramalingam, 42, from Altrincham, Cheshire, worked as a consultant obstetrician across several hospitals in the Greater Manchester area.

Mrs Ramalingam, who was originally from Chennai, attended Madras Medical College. She was a respected clinician who had published a number of research papers on gynaecology and obstetrics. A woman at her family home who refused to give her name but identified herself as her sister said they were “devastated”.

Dr Ravikumar, who also has two children, was a partner at the health surgery in Bracebridge Heath near Lincoln where she was described as “a hardworking and dedicated GP”.

Dr Ravikumar’s husband, Chinnusamy, who is understood to a be a consultant in diabetes at Lincoln County Hospital, just four miles from the family’s home in Reepham, is believed to be on the island still.