A 59-year-old British tourist tragically died on Saturday afternoon following a parasailing accident off the coast of St Julian's, the police said.

The victim and a 60-year-old woman, also visiting from the United Kingdom, were paragliding around 1pm when witnesses saw them descend into the sea, possibly as a result of the strong winds, the police said.

The pair were around one and a half miles off the coast, the police added.

The two were brought to land by a boat, and the man was certified dead in site,. 

Emergency services transported the woman to Mater Dei Hospital for medical care. The police later said she suffered grievous injuries.

Magistrate Renata Farrugia is leading an inquiry.

In a first statement, the police said that the pair were practising paragliding, but in a second statement corrected the sport to parasailing.