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ARCHIVED - Family of Brit who drowned rescuing his dog from a river near Benidorm launch appeal to repatriate his body
The 25-year-old's body was pulled from a river in Callosa d'En Sarrià in the Marina Baixa area of Alicante province on Monday May 9
The family of Paul Lebihan who drowned whilst trying to rescue his dog from a river in Callosa d'En Sarriàt, 15km from Benidorm, have set up a GoFundMe page to bring his body back to his hometown of Gateshead.
The lifeless body of the 25-year-old, who served in the Royal Navy, was pulled from Bolulla River on Monday May 9, the fourth person to lose their life at the natural area popular with walkers in a month.
Tragically, the keen amateur boxer who had been living in Spain managed to free his dog from the strong currents but perished himself. And in a desperate bid to bring his body home, Paul's devastated family has launched a fundraising appeal to help parents Deborah and Paul Snr fly his body home to give him a memorial.
The GoFundMe page was set up by Paul's cousin, Kallym Bell, and as of Thursday morning, May 12, has raised £9,825 (11,455 euros).
Kallym, 19, told ChronicleLive: "He loved being around people, he was very sociable. He loved his boxing, he was a talented boxer, and he loved going out with his friends. He was a very popular kid, very loved."
He added that Paul was an "amazing, selfless man with a heart of gold, always the biggest laugh and the very best to be around. He would do anything for anyone... saving the dog shows that."
Paul's mother Deborah has flown to Spain to collect her son's body, but now faces the hefty cost of flying him home. The family has stressed that any donation, however small, is "appreciated" so that Paul can be given the "memorial he deserves".
Image: GoFundMe/Kallym Bell
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