A British man has drowned in the Caribbean Sea after reportedly travelling to Colombia for his wedding. The 30-year-old is reported to have died after getting into trouble in waters near the city of Cartagena.

An alarm was raised at about 7am on Sunday morning local time (1pm BST) after the man went swimming in El Laguito, which is a popular neighbourhood with tourists. Local media reported that the man had travelled to the South American country in order to get married.

One media outlet reported that the man’s spouse was with him at the time. The man was pronounced dead at the scene despite the best efforts of the emergency services to save him.

Conditions at sea were said to be “rough” at the time of the incident, according to the Daily Mail.

The man’s body has been taken to a local medical institute ahead of a post-mortem examination.

Officials have reportedly launched an investigation, although the incident has been described as accidental.

Some media outlets in Colombia have published pictures of the man, which were taken from social media.

Earlier this year, two tourists from the UK almost died after the sailing boat they were travelling in was hit by a cargo vessel off Cartagena before sinking.

Colombian naval officers rescued them and 18 others on board the boat after they managed to save themselves by jumping into emergency life rafts.

The vessel’s captain sounded a mayday alert after the early-morning incident and all those involved escaped unharmed.