A 26-year-old man was found dead in the sea near Aphrodite’s rock in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said.

They said they had received information regarding a missing person at around 2.20am and had enacted the “Nearchos” rescue plan with the aim of locating him.

Police searched the coast on foot, while a police boat and a rescue helicopter from the Greek air force were also deployed with the aim of finding the man.

Once he was located, he was taken to the Paphos general hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The police said they have ruled out the possibility of criminal activity in relation to the man’s death.

Later on Saturday, Paphos police’s assistant operations director said the man had been identified.

He had reportedly travelled by taxi to Paphos airport, where he was picked up by his 28-year-old girlfriend. She said the pair of them then went to swim in the sea, when she lost sight of him.

He added that the man’s name will be made public at a later stage.

Their investigation into the matter is ongoing.