Quarry Deaths: Man Drowns Trying To Save Teen

A man understood to be on holiday has drowned as he tried to rescue a teenage boy in a disused quarry in Northern Ireland.

Fifteen-year-old Kevin O'Hare is believed to have got into difficulties while swimming in the quarry's deep waters and a friend then ran to raise the alarm.

Colin Polland responded and is understood to have jumped into the water as he attempted to rescue Kevin, but both died.

Emergency crews, including police divers, were involved in an evening-long operation to recover the bodies from Paul's Quarry on the outskirts of the seaside village of Annalong in rural Co Down.

Kevin was from the Dromara area of Co Down. Mr Polland was originally from Northern Ireland but had been living in England.

The site near the Glassdrumman Road is popular with young people wanting to swim on hot days.

Police said post-mortem examinations would be carried out in due course following Saturday's tragedy.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said she was deeply saddened at the tragic deaths.

She said: "Any death is sad, but when deaths happen in tragic circumstances it is very poignant for the family, friends and local community of those who lost their lives.

"My heartfelt sympathy and that of all the people goes out to the families, friends and relatives of the two men who lost their lives in such tragic circumstances in a disused quarry at the bottom of Spence Mountain in the Mournes."

Sinn Fein MLA for the area Chris Hazzard also expressed his condolences. "My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families at this time for their loss," he said.

"The entire community is in shock at this double tragedy at this disused quarry."

Mr Hazzard said more needed to be done to improve safety at large bodies of water, adding: "I would urge young people not to be tempted to swim in unauthorised pools of water as there are many dangers as last night's tragedy has shown."

The wider Annalong area has been hit by a series of tragedies in recent years, including the deaths of three men in a light aircraft crash four years ago and the loss of three family members in the sinking of a fishing boat in 2002.

South Down Assembly member Jim Wells said: "This area has suffered many tragedies over the last number of years and this is another dreadful event that will shock the entire community."

"I would hope there will be a full investigation to establish what happened - we need to improve safety in these sort of situations," the Democratic Unionist representative added.