PARIS (AFP) - A 21-year-old man drowned in western France at the weekend after being swamped by the tide in a hole he had dug on the beach, local officials said.

"The young man decided to dig quite a deep hole to stand in," the local prosecutor's office said in a statement which explained that the victim had not been able to free himself in time when the sea came in.

A member of his family had tried to pull him to safety, while emergency services were unable to revive him when they arrived at the scene.

The accident happened on Sunday (Aug 12) on the Barbatre beach on the island of Nourmoutier which lies a short distance off France's Atlantic coast.

France's holiday season is in full swing, with millions enjoying sunny weather on beaches around the country.