Rescuers found the body of a man Tuesday on Spain's northwestern coast where three members of the same family were swept out to sea by a huge wave while reportedly scattering the ashes of a dead relative.

Police found the body on a beach on the rocky coast of Valdovino in Galicia, police said in a message on their Twitter account.

Spanish media said the man was a 67-year-old who was swept out to sea along with his niece and his brother-in-law on Monday while they were standing on a cliff.

Private television station Telecinco said they had gone to scatter the ashes of a dead relative and were caught up by a huge wave during a storm.

Two helicopters searched on Tuesday the coast of Galicia, which continued to be lashed by strong winds and waves as high as 12 metres (40 feet).

The mayor of Valdovino declared two days of mourning.