Police probe deaths of two people ‘strapped into wheelchairs’ as boat capsized

Bodies were retrieved from a Devon lake 24 hours after the motorboat capsized

Two people died and four were rescued after a motorboat capsized in Roadford Lake (PA)

Police have launched an investigation into the deaths of two people who were reportedly strapped into wheelchairs when the boat they were on capsized.

Devon and Cornwall Police and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MIAB) have opened parallel probes into the accident on Roadford Lake, near Okehampton.

The alarm was raised when the boat, carrying six people, capsized at about 1.30pm on Wednesday.

Four people were rescued but two remained missing and their bodies were recovered from the water 24 hours later. Two of those rescued were taken to hospital, where one remains in a critical condition.

The people who died have not yet been formally identified, but Devon and Cornwall Police said they were a man in his 40s and a woman in her 60s. The force said detectives were in working with a coroner on what it expects will be “a complex investigation”.

The MIAB declined to comment on the reports that the pair were strapped into wheelchairs at the time of the accident, and said its investigators would look to determine whether this was the case and if the victims had been wearing life jackets.

A spokesperson said: “Our investigation is in its early stages and our current focus is on gathering as much evidence as possible. This will include everything from the events on the day through to the boat’s design and construction.

“We are carrying out a safety investigation that will seek to establish the circumstances and causes of the accident and identify ways of preventing a similar accident occurring in the future.

They added: “All lines of inquiry are open and being examined.

“It is too early in the investigation to say anything more about this, but we can reassure everyone that if we do identify the need for urgent safety messages, these will be issued without delay."

Superintendent Toby Davies, from Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “This has been a tragic incident in which two people have lost their lives.

“We continue to support all of the families involved with the deployment of specialist family liaison officers and our thoughts remain with those families at this difficult time.

“The parallel investigations will look at the circumstances surrounding the incident with the MAIB in addition to identifying ways to prevent a similar incident occurring in the future.

“These investigations have already seen liaison with HM Coroner and we would expect this to progress further during the next week.”

Two of the four people rescued when the boat capsized were taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, with one later discharged and the other – a woman in her 50s – remaining there in a critical condition.

The others on board the motorboat were checked by paramedics and discharged at the scene.