MUIRTOWN BASIN SEARCHED ANXIOUS FATHER WAITS FOR NEWS
Inverness man vanishes as he takes dip in canal
Published:
A young man was feared drowned last night after he disappeared while swimming at the mouth of the Caledonian Canal in Inverness.
Rescuers launched a major search in Muirtown Basin yesterday afternoon for the man who failed to surface.
A friend who was watching from the bank tried to help but also got into difficulties.
He was rescued by members of the public, but attempts to find his companion were unsuccessful.
The missing man has not been named by police.
He is in his late 20s and lives in Inverness.
His father was at the scene of the search, anxiously waiting for news last night.
Local lifeboat volunteers and coastguard teams were called to the scene near Clachnaharry around 3.35pm and began searching the water in the centre of the basin, where the young man was last seen.
A helicopter also joined the operation later.
The search was called off at 10pm. Divers from Grampian Police could be brought in to assist this morning.
Muirtown Basin, at the north end of the Caledonian Canal, is a popular spot for walkers and cyclists.
Yesterday afternoon its pontoons were filled with tourists’ boats.
The locks were closed as rescuers searched the water for the missing man.
Steve Curran, 23, and his father Keith O’Rourke were fishing from the banks when the young man vanished.
Mr Curran, who lives in the Crown area, said: “We saw them in the water, swimming and larking about.
“They were maybe only in there for 10 minutes but only one boy came out.”
He added that he and his father did not realise what had happened until the emergency services arrived.
And they said police had taken away two bottles which were floating in the water.
A woman who witnessed the incident from her boat said she was too upset to talk about what happened.
A boat owner who watched the search described the young man’s disappearance as a “terrible” event.
Many local residents gathered on the banks of the canal as an RAF Lossiemouth-based Sea King helicopter crew spent 45 minutes sweeping the area and using a thermal imaging camera.
Coastguards used small dinghies to search the basin and rescuers were also using specialist equipment that allowed them to view the bottom on a monitor.
Coastguard sector manager Mike Armitage said the water was “very cold” and was up to 20ft in some places.
“We were told that the man went into the water and was swimming. He was spotted going under the water. Someone jumped in and tried to help but he has not been seen since.”
Acting police Inspector Les Davidson said that around the same time, three youngsters had been taken out of water nearby.
He said: “Despite the water being inviting on a warm day, it is extremely cold and we would advise people not to go near the water.”
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