Hunt for missing paddleboarder, 15, ends in tragedy as body pulled from Scots loch
A BODY has been found in the search for a missing 15-year-old paddleboarder.
Police confirmed a 'male youth' had been found in the water after a rescue team hunt at Lochore Meadows Country Park in Fife.
2
2
Force chiefs closed the airspace barring planes, helicopters and drones from flying over the beauty spot after a 'report of concern' for a person on 260-acre Loch Ore.
A police spokesman said: 'The body of a male youth was recovered from the water.
'Formal identification has yet to take place however the family of a 15-year-old paddleboarder reported missing have been informed.
'There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.'
The alarm was raised over concerns for the teen who had been on the water around 5.25pm yesterday as temperatures in the area hit 20°C.
Coastguard teams from three stations and a chopper took part in the operation, supported by cops and firefighters.
Police told how 'extensive searches' had been mounted in a bid to find him.
Aircraft had been blocked from flying overhead until 9pm tomorrow, while visitors were urged to stay away and a planned gala was shifted to a nearby playpark.
Locals paid tribute to the lad online after it was revealed a body had been found.
One said: 'Absolutely devastating news.
School principal pays touching tribute to teen who died in Meath swimming tragedy
'I was really praying he would be found safe and well, thinking of his family.'
Another added: 'Som so sad to hear this, it is just heartbreaking.
'Sending love to the family, I cannot begin to imagine their pain.'
And a third said: 'Another one taken too soon.'
More than a million visitors use the park each year, with the loch popular for yachting and used as a training site for the University of St Andrews Boat Club.
It is also the home of the Scottish Open Water Championships.
Paddleboarding has boomed in popularity, with around 100,000 adults taking to the water annually.
They stand or kneel on specially made boards or inflatables and use an oar to move and steer using.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
40 minutes ago
- Sky News
Brutal murder on 'date' exposes robbery gang suspected of targeting dozens of women in South Africa
Thirty-year-old Olorato Mongale made sure to take all the measures necessary for a safe first date in South Africa's biggest city, Johannesburg. She had agreed to meet 'John' in the daytime. She sent her friends her phone location after leaving her house and promptly texted them "on the road" at 2.47pm. They replied "enjoy!", hoping she would find love. An hour later, their friend had gone silent and her phone location was showing up in dangerous areas of the city. A search party of seven friends set off to trace Olorato's digital footsteps. "It didn't make sense. Where is she? Why is she missing?" says Karabo Mokoena, as we drove to the locations involved in their search. After finding her bag on a pile of bricks off the side of a main road, they filed a missing person report at a police station. "I thought there was no way we were not going to find her. We did end up finding her but not in the way we would have hoped," says Karabo. Olorato's body had been dumped at the dirt entrance of a random house less than 100m from where her friends were searching into the night. Her face was swollen and her eyes black-blue from violent impact. Her top was ripped open to expose her breasts. Police told Sky News that her post-mortem showed signs of blunt force trauma. She was likely beaten to death. "It was like I was dreaming, seeing her body like that with those bruises and blood everywhere," says Olorato's mother, Keabetswe Poppy Mongale, describing the moment she had to identify her only child at the morgue. "I don't think what I saw will ever go away," she adds. "It was very painful. I don't wish that on any parent because my beautiful little girl looked different because someone chose to do that to her." CCTV from the driveway of Olorato's building shows the last time she was seen alive, leaving her home to meet 'John'. In the video, she walks towards a white Volkswagen Polo and hesitates as she reaches the left back door. John had come with a friend. Four days after Olorato was killed, police found the car in a different province with traces of her blood splattered across the back seat. Philangenkosi Sibongokuhle Makanya - 'John' - was shot dead by police in KwaZulu-Natal shortly after they found the vehicle. The second man in the car, Bongani Mthimkhulu, is still on the run. The two men have since been identified as part of a dangerous criminal syndicate that lure young women out on dates and rob them at gunpoint. "Within the four days, the investigating officers received 94 calls from women who were raising concerns and identifying the suspects as those they once met," South African Police Service deputy national commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told Sky News. "It was unfortunate about Olorato, but others were released after being robbed." A 24-year-old student who survived an armed robbery at the hands of Olorato's suspected killers says she was happy to see Philangenkosi killed but she's still scared for her life. "As women, we are not even safe anymore - we can't even walk freely," she says. "The moment you leave your house you wonder if you will make it back alive. I don't feel comfortable walking around the street. I leave the house and then turn back. "Even when I'm home, I still don't feel safe and always want to keep myself locked indoors," she says with a shaky voice - choosing to remain anonymous. After meeting other victims of the syndicate, she was shocked to hear details of almost identical abductions. "This other girl was surprised because we went through the exact same situation. They also approached her with the same tactic - let me take you out to lunch to get to know you - only for her to be robbed." South Africa has one of the highest femicide rates in the world - an average 15 women are killed a day, many by their intimate partners. According to police statistics, more than 5,500 women were murdered in South Africa last year. An increase of 33.8% compared with the previous year. "South Africa has six times the average rate of femicide - hundreds of women have already been killed since Olorato's murder," says Cameron Kasambala from Women for Change. The advocacy group raises awareness of rising cases of femicide and gender-based violence across South Africa. In the hours after her murder, Olorato's friends contacted Women for Change to share her missing poster after receiving little immediate help from the local police station. "I think her friends were the real heroes in that moment," says Cameron. "Two police stations that were 10 minutes apart, one finds a body and one has a missing case, don't make a connection for hours. It's not the most reassuring police work. And if the friends had not come forward, how long would it have taken? "Unfortunately, Olorato's case is an exception. Most cases are not handled that quickly." Olorato's friends are still contending with the violence of her death - what it means for their daily lives and how they navigate their safety as women in South Africa. "It is difficult to process and difficult to believe. This is somebody who ticked all the boxes when it came to being careful - being meticulous, checking her surroundings and leaving clues," says Olorato's friend, Koketso Sejosengoe. "It shows it can happen to anybody no matter how safe you are. It is happening to the average girl. They are being targeted. These men know what they are doing and who they are looking for." "In the purest sense, Olorato wanted women to be safe and wanted women to be protected," adds Koketso. "I think she would be very proud to know that her name has not gone in vain and that her death is standing for something - that there will be change that comes with this."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Boy to go on trial accused of murdering Harvey Willgoose, 15, at school
A 15-year-old boy who stabbed another teenager at a school is due to go trial accused of murder. Harvey Willgoose, also 15, died after he was stabbed through the heart at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on February 3. A teenager, who cannot be named, has admitted Harvey's manslaughter but denies murdering the Sheffield United fan and will go on trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday. The boy, who cannot be named, has also admitted possession of a bladed article. The incident at the school in February shocked Sheffield and the nation. Harvey was remembered as a 'social butterfly' who 'deserved so much more' and 'had dreams, plans and a future ahead of him' at his funeral in February. The service was broadcast on a big screen outside the building for those who could not fit inside, and some mourners wore T-shirts with pictures of Harvey's face and anti-knife crime slogans. His cousin Lana Swirles told the congregation: 'His laughter was contagious and his kindness knew no bounds. 'His adventurous spirit inspired us to enjoy life and seek out joy in the little things.' The service heard how he loved fishing with his grandfather, was 'never far from a scrape' and his mother Caroline recalled that as a little boy his catchphrase was: 'Isn't it a lovely day?' She told mourners: ' One of Harvey's great gifts was his love of people, his kindness to others and his ability to talk to anyone.' Sheffield United was 'the great love of Harvey's life', the service was told, and his coffin was wrapped with a Bramall Lane design. Harvey's parents have been prominent campaigners against knife crime since their son's death and they met Home Secretary Yvette Cooper about the issue in March.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Desperate search for missing camper at Jerrawangala continues as authorities race against the clock
A desperate search for a missing camper who disappeared in NSW bushland has entered its third day. Christopher Moore, 38, failed to return home from a camping trip at Jerrawangala, about 32km south of Nowra, on Friday. He had been dropped off on Wednesday and did not arrive at his pick-up spot two days later. An urgent search was launched with authorities focusing their efforts around the Jerrawangala and Wandandian regions. South Coast Police, Police Rescue, and members of the SES, Polair, and NSW Rural Fire Service have all joined in on the search. Fears have been raised a low-pressure system could bring heavy rain and gale force winds and hamper the search on Tuesday. more to come
