Two friends who died in a diving tragedy off Barra have been named by police.
Iain Ruairidh Macdougall of Castlebay on the island and Ryan McGuckin, who was from Falkirk and living in London, died on Saturday.
The men, both aged 39, were diving in shallow water near Castlebay when they got into difficulty.
Mr McGuckin was visiting Mr Macdougall and the friends, who previously attended Glasgow College of Nautical Studies together, were diving for shellfish.
The alarm was raised by the skipper of a local ferry when he noticed that the divers had failed to surface and their small boat was left unmanned.
A search and rescue operation was launched, involving the Barra coastguard team and lifeboat, as well as a coastguard helicopter.
It is believed locals saw a man surface before going back under the water to try and rescue his stricken friend.
Inspector Jane Nicolson said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of both Mr Macdougall and Mr McGuckin at this very difficult time, as well as with the tight-knit community on Barra which has been deeply affected by this tragedy.
“I would once again like to take the opportunity to thank members of the public who assisted the emergency services on Saturday.
“Our inquiries are continuing but there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal as is standard in these cases.”
This is the third tragedy to hit the tiny island with a population of 1,100 people in recent months.
Eilidh Macleod, 14, also from Castlebay, was killed in the Manchester terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert two months ago.
Her school friend, Laura MacIntyre, was severely injured and is still in hospital.
And less than two weeks ago, 32-year-old Ian Johnstone, of Castlebay, was found dead on a beach on Barra.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: “Barra has had much more than its fair share of tragedy recently, and this will be a very difficult time indeed for this very close-knit community.
“This serves again to indicate how dangerous the seas around the Western Isles can be.
“I am sure the wider Western Isles community will be thinking of both families at this very sad time.”
