💔 A FATHER LOST HIS LIFE TRYING TO SAVE HIS FAMILY… As four teenagers also tragically died during Britain’s devastating heatwave weekend 😢

What was meant to be a joyful bank holiday under the sun turned heartbreaking after multiple fatal water incidents were reported across the UK during one of the hottest May periods on record. ☀️⚠️

Families spending time at beaches, rivers, and lakes suddenly faced terrifying situations as emergency teams rushed to rescue calls — but sadly, not everyone returned home. 💔

Now loved ones are grieving painful losses as safety warnings continue reminding people how quickly open water conditions can become dangerous. 👇😢

Five teens die in heatwave water tragedies as RNLI warns of ‘very real risk’

Declan Sawyer, 15, secondary student Abbie Carmody-Pepper and Reco Puttock, 13, are among five teens to have lost their lives this weekend [National news]

View 2 Images

Declan Sawyer has died at 15

Five teenagers have lost their lives as a May heatwave gripped the UK and Ireland. Four UK teenagers drowned in open water as temperatures soared past 30C.

One teen in Dublin, Ireland was reported to have lost her live after entering water at the beach on Saturday. The RNLI has warned people of the “very real risk” of swimming in open water as the heatwave continues.

The warning comes after police forces in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Dublin were all called out to separate fatal open water incidents involving five teenagers.

On Sunday, a body was found in the search for a boy who got into trouble in a lake in Lincoln. Emergency services were called to Swanholme Lakes at 2.30pm on Sunday after reports that 15-year-old Declan Sawyer had entered the water and was missing.

A teenage girl tragically lost her life in a drowning accident at a Dublin beach, also on Sunday. Secondary student Abbie Carmody-Pepper, from Ballymun in north Dublin, was visiting Burrow Beach in Sutton when the devastating incident took place while swimming.

Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire. The 13-year-old-boy – named locally as Reco Puttock, from Bradford – was pulled from the water and taken to hospital but despite every effort was later pronounced dead.

On Monday evening, the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire. Both she and another teenager who were recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park in the early hours of Tuesday morning have yet to be identified.

View 2 Images

Abbie Carmody-Pepper who drowned in Ireland

On Tuesday afternoon, police in Lancashire said searches were ongoing after a boy got into difficulty while swimming with friends in a river in the Ribble Valley. A force spokeswoman said officers were called just after 2pm to a concern for the welfare of a child who had gone into the river at Ribchester.

On Monday afternoon, a man in his 60s also died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who had gotten into difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said. The two family members were brought to safety by members of the public.

The RNLI said on Tuesday that whilst temperatures hit record highs for May over the bank holiday weekend, water temperatures remained low and could lead to cold water shock. This can lead to hyperventilation, a spike in heart rate and blood pressure as the body reacts to cold water. In the worst cases, even competent swimmers can drown as their bodies cannot cope with the change in temperature.

The RNLI said in a statement on Tuesday: “While the air temperature is warm, the seas are still cold and cold water shock remains a very real risk. With many school children enjoying half term, the lifesaving charity is urging everyone to stay safe.”