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Search continues for man missing after canoe capsizes in Loch Gairloch Loch Gairloch canoe accident: police name three children killed
(about 7 hours later)
The search has resumed for a man missing after a canoe capsized in a sea loch in Scotland, resulting in the deaths of two young boys. Three young children who died after a canoeing accident in Scotland at the weekend have been were named by police.
Six people – two men and four children – were on board the boat when it overturned in Loch Gairloch, near Ullapool in the Highlands, on Sunday afternoon. Ewen Beaton, five, his two-year-old brother Jamie, and a family friend, Gracie Mackay, also five, were on board the boat which capsized on Loch Gairloch, near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands, on Sunday afternoon.
Two boys, aged three and five, were rescued by helicopter from the water and airlifted to Raigmore hospital in Inverness in a serious condition. They died on Sunday night. The boys' father, Ewen Fraser Beaton, 32, is still missing but the search has been stood down for the day and was now a "recovery mission", the coastguard said. The brothers died on Sunday after being plucked from the water and airlifted to Raigmore hospital in Inverness.
A five-year-old girl who was airlifted to Broadford hospital in Skye after being rescued from the loch remains seriously ill. She was transferred overnight by rescue helicopter to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill in Glasgow, where her parents are said to be with her. On Monday evening, police announced that Gracie, who was unconscious when she was rescued from the sealoch on Sunday, had also died in hospital.
A 35-year-old man and an eight-year-old girl managed to swim to shore unscathed and alerted Stornoway coastguard to the incident at around 4.15pm on Sunday. The girl is being cared for by relatives, police said. In a statement issued through Northern Constabulary before news of the girl's death, the Beaton family said: "We are utterly devastated by what has happened and the loss of our beautiful little boys. We appreciate all that has and is being done by emergency services to find their adoring father, Ewen … It is too difficult to say anything more at this time and we would appreciate our family being left in peace to grieve our terrible loss."
A helicopter and lifeboats from Portree, Gairloch and Loch Ewe launched a search and found the three children in the water. Six people from two families – two men and four children – were on board when the boat capsized. Gracie's 35-year-old father and eight-year-old sister managed to swim ashore.
Local boats assisted rescue services on Sunday in the search for a missing 32-year-old man, which continued into the night in the water near the Big Sands caravan park in Gairloch. Gracie, from Muir of Ord near Inverness, was initially airlifted to Broadford hospital on Skye, but she was transferred by helicopter overnight to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill in Glasgow, where she died.
Police and Stornoway coastguard confirmed they had resumed their search on Monday morning. Stornoway Coastguard was alerted to the incident at around 4.15pm yesterdayon Sunday after the man and his older daughter made it ashore.
Lifeboats from Lochinver and Portree are involved in the operation, as well as members of the Red Cross. Peter Godding, sector manager for Stornoway Coastguard, said: "The girl that survived is very courageous and very resourceful to be able to complete a 500m swim to shore. I mean, that's no mean feat for an adult but she's achieved that and managed in combination with the other adult to raise the alarm. She's amazing."
Police said the group were in a six-man Canadian canoe, a narrow boat designed to carry multiple passengers. "The current situation is we've got one missing person who is a male adult. He has been in the water a very long time, if he is in the water. We have extensively completed a set of criteria which terminates the search. We've basically ticked all the boxes that says we don't need to search anymore.
Inquiries into the incident are being carried out. "Miracles do happen sometimes, so there's always that at the back of our minds."
"We've covered the same ground over and over at least three to four times. The vessels at sea have been likewise, there's been two lifeboats here today and there were two here yesterday, and the sea area has been extensively covered. The airspace has been flown over yesterday by our aircraft and there was aircraft presence earlier on.
"The 60 square miles have been extensively searched and we've come to the end of what we can do."When asked about the type of canoe the group had been in, he said: "They are quite cheap vessels to purchase and unfortunately it's quite difficult to maintain the stability if you stand up in them."
Northern Constabulary confirmed that two families from the East Highland area were involved in the incident with the six-man Canadian canoe.
A helicopter and lifeboats from Portree, Gairloch and Loch Ewe launched a search and were involved in the operation to remove the three children from the water.
Local boats assisted rescue services in the search for Ewen Beaton Snr, but rain, wind and choppy seas were understood to have made conditions more difficult for the teams.
Carol Collins, Stornoway Coastguard watch manager, said: "Sadly at this stage the search and rescue phase has now moved to a recovery mission."
Ewen Beaton Jnr was a pupil at Teanassie primary school, near Beauly, 10 miles west of Inverness. Highland Council said his brother was due to start nursery at the 61-pupil school at the end of the year.
Alison Donald, acting headteacher at the school, said: "As we are a small community, the school, parents and the wider community will feel this loss deeply."