Two teenage boys have drowned in a lake in Northern Ireland in what is believed to be a tragic accident.
The 16-year-olds were part of a group of at least six friends who cycled to Enagh Lough, outside Derry, for a swim on Monday evening.
They were named locally on Tuesday as Reuven Simon and Joseph Sebastian.
One boy got into difficulty and others tried to help while another raised the alarm at about 6.30pm, triggering a rescue and recovery effort by five emergency crews, a hazardous area response team and paramedics.
One boy was taken from the water to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The other boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A third boy was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The other three were unharmed but in shock, said a Police Service of Northern Ireland statement. “We believe, at this stage, that this was a tragic drowning incident,” it said.
Father Michael Canny, a Catholic parish priest in the nearby Waterside district, said as many as eight boys may have cycled to the lake. “I understand they decided to enter the lough for swimming, which is not an uncommon things for locals to do,” he told RTÉ.
The boys attended local primary and grammar schools and had received their GCSE results last week, he said.
“They are part of the Indian Kerala community who worship here at St Columb’s in Waterside. Two of the mothers are nurses, I understand. Another works in the health service and another is a local in business here. It’s an awful tragedy and there is tremendous sadness all round.”
At the lough, near a small jetty, six bikes remained propped against trees, a bank and a fence.
Rachael Ferguson, an Alliance party councillor, said the community was deeply affected. “I spoke to some of the family members who were in shock and the young boys I saw – it’s devastating what they witnessed,” she told the BBC. “They are going to need a lot of support.”
Sandra Duffy, the mayor of Derry city and Strabane district council, said: “The sad loss of two teenage lives in such circumstances is devastating for all of us. As a mother, my heart goes out to the boys’ parents and to their family and friends at this time, I hope you get the strength and support you need to get you through your huge loss.
“Our rivers and loughs can be so dangerous and this incident highlights more than ever the need for us all to be vigilant at this time of year. My thoughts are also with the boys’ friends who were there last night and who witnessed the tragedy and to their school friends and teachers who should have been welcoming them back to school this week.”
