Three dead in sea and river tragedies as warm weather sparks safety warning

Three people have died in two separate water-related tragedies as the UK recorded its hottest spell of the year.

Two men in their 20s lost their lives after being pulled from the water off the coast of Torbay, Devon and Cornwall Police said on Sunday.

Officers were called to assist the Coastguard at around 9am on Saturday following reports of two people in the water at Oddicombe.

Following an emergency rescue operation, the two men were pulled from the water and one was declared dead at the scene.

The second man died after being taken to Torbay District Hospital.

Their next of kin have been informed, and inquiries continue while a file will be prepared for the coroner.

The operation involved the Coastguard Rescue Team from Torbay and the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat from Teignmouth & Dawlish.

The Devon Air Ambulance was despatched, and Devon and Cornwall Police and the South Western Ambulance Service were also involved.

Meanwhile, a teenager whose body was found in a Carlisle river on Saturday has been formally identified, Cumbria Police said.

Lewis Michael Kirkpatrick, 15, who was from Carlisle, was found shortly after 1.30pm after emergency services received reports that he and three other teenage boys had got into trouble in the River Eden on Friday evening.

A 14-year-old who was airlifted to hospital remains in a critical condition, while one of the group managed to swim to safety and another was rescued by a member of the public, the force said.

Officers were alerted to the four boys struggling in the water in the city's Rosehill area around 6.40pm on Friday, prompting the launch of a large multi-agency search.

Chief Superintendent Lisa Hogan said on Saturday: “This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family of the 15-year-old boy at this difficult time.

“An extensive search operation has taken place since the incident was reported yesterday evening.

“The search activity was assisted by emergency services, search and rescue teams and specialist search professionals from Cumbria and from outside the county.”

A file is being prepared for the coroner, police said.

It comes as the UK recorded its hottest day of the year on Saturday.

Temperatures reached as high as 24.3C in Bramham, West Yorkshire, the Met Office said.

The warm bank holiday was continuing into Sunday, although it was not predicted to be quite as warm.

Temperatures were expected to reach up to 23C in Plymouth with London likely to see 22C.

People were being advised to take care if they plan to cool off by swimming in rivers or lakes.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said hazards include strong currents, water quality, uneven riverbanks and tomb-stoning without knowing the water depth or location of underwater objects

A spokesman said: “The idea of swimming in a river or lake will be appealing to many people during this current spell of warm weather.

“Around 85% of accidental drownings occur at open water sites, and many of these drownings occur due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the hazards posed by open water.

“Whilst the benefits of open water swimming are well documented, we feel it’s important to remind potential swimmers of the hazards posed by swimming in open water.”