A young man has tragically died after getting into difficulty in the water at a Dumfries and Galloway beauty spot. The 28-year-old had been swimming with friends at Loch Ken on Sunday afternoon near the old viaduct at Parton.
When he failed to resurface, his worried pals notified the emergency services who raced to the scene. A major search was launched involving a helicopter, firefighters, police and coastguard teams while members of the public were urged to avoid the area.
Police Scotland have now confirmed that a body was sadly recovered on Tuesday afternoon. The death is not being treated as suspicious and the man’s family have been notified.
A statement from the force said: “A body was found in Loch Ken around 1.50pm on Tuesday, 20 June, 2023, following a search for a man seen in difficulty on Sunday, 18 June, 2023.
“His next of kin have been informed but formal identification has still to take place. The death is not believed to be suspicious and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”
Senior coastguard operations officer at Kirkcudbright Stewart Bryden told the Dumfries and Galloway Standard: “The temperature was only sitting about nine degrees. We think it’s the cold water shock that’s got him.
“Entering the water at this time of year, lochs especially, is dangerous due to the cold temperatures. Lochs don’t heat up as much as people think. They’re deep and they’ve got pools. People need to take care and should use life jackets.”
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