Village in shock after man and a child die in River Avon boat tragedy

The deaths of a man and child in a river tragedy have left a village in shock.

The deaths of a man and child in a river tragedy have left a village in shock.

The bodies were pulled from the water yesterday evening after a boat overturned at a weir in the River Avon.

The man, named locally as Julian Mynott, was recovered from the water in Barford, near Warwick, shortly after 10pm.

The body of a young child was pulled from the water around an hour-and-a-half earlier, at about 8.30pm, following a full-scale search by emergency services.

Both were declared dead at the scene.

Neighbours in the small village today spoke of their shock and said Mr Mynott, an antiques dealer, and his wife Emma had only moved to their picturesque home in February.

It is understood the couple had a young son aged around three and a daughter, who is said to be five.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said she thought Mr Mynott was on the river with his children and another young boy, aged around seven, who was a friend of the family.

She said: "It's just awful, it's the most terrible, tragic thing."

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said two children were pulled from the water and are being treated in hospital.

The man and children had been in a small rowing boat which had capsized, the ambulance service said.

One of the youngsters is in a serious but stable condition in Birmingham Children's Hospital, Warwickshire Police said.

The second child is being treated at Warwick Hospital and is described as conscious but poorly.

Emergency services were first called to the weir incident at around 5.35pm, after the small boat the four were travelling in capsized.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said two of the children were pulled out of the water, which was in full flow, by a resident and a police officer.

One of the two youngsters had suffered a cardiac arrest and was given CPR by the resident and the policeman before paramedics arrived.

The child was taken to Warwick Hospital by land ambulance before being transferred to Birmingham's Children Hospital.

The incident prompted a major recovery operation involving Warwickshire Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Severn Area Rescue.

PA