The body of a man who fell into the River Findhorn while kayaking yesterday has been recovered.
At around 12:36pm yesterday, emergency services attended a request for assistance on the River Findhorn, near an area known as Elephant Rock, after a call was received concerning a male kayaker who got into difficulties whilst navigating the water.
Police Scotland say that at about 9am today, the body of the male kayaker, who was in his fifties, was recovered from the river with the assistance of HM Coastguard’s River Team.
The man’s next of kin have been made aware.
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal as is standard practice in these circumstances.
It is believed his clothing became snagged on branches after he fell into the River Findhorn.
Rescuers were called out at about 12.30pm yesterday (December 30) but struggled to reach or communicate with the man in the stormy conditions.
The teams were forced to call off their efforts at about 5pm, as coastguard teams realised it would be impossible to reach him while the river was flowing so high.
It is understood that the man was in a party with a group of experienced kayakers, who sounded the alarm when he encountered difficulty.
A police spokesman confirmed officers attended the scene to assist with efforts to reach the stricken man, along with ambulance and coastguard personnel.
Rescue squads were faced with an arduous trek to reach the spot following torrential rain overnight and throughout the day.
It is believed that coastguard crews had to dislodge an ambulance which became embedded in mud after arriving at the scene.
The River Findhorn has developed a fearsome reputation over the years following a number of accidents along its fast-flowing waters.
Earlier this year a teenager died at Randolph’s Leap, six miles south of Forres, after attempting to swim across the river.
The 19-year-old’s body was later found at Findhorn Bay.
And a 39-year-old man died after plunging into the river at Randolph’s Leap two years ago when he lost his footing and fell from a ledge.
In July a female holiday-maker was winched more than 200ft to safety from a gully along from Randolph’s Leap when a white water rafting expedition went awry.
Forres councillor George Alexander said: “The river is extremely dangerous when it is in a state of spate.”