Enagh Lough: Drowned teens' friends commended at inquest

Reuven Simon (left) and Joseph Sebastian (right) died after getting into difficulty at Enagh Lough in August 2022

A senior firefighter has told the friends of two boys who drowned in a County Londonderry lake they could have done nothing more to help them.

Reuven Simon and Joseph Sebastian were swimming in Enagh Lough on 29 August 2022 when they got into difficulty.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Area Commander Mark Deeney was speaking during the second day of an inquest into their deaths,

He was the first member of the emergency services at the scene.

The Coroner's Court heard from members of the emergency services who had attended the lake and had been involved in both the search and recovery operation.

Mr Deeney told the court he arrived at the lough nine minutes after he had been initially tasked.

He described how he spoke to friends of the two boys on the bank and ascertained where the boys had been last seen.

He said he was able to pass this information on to the specialised water search team which arrived a short time later.

Bikes pictured by a jetty near Enagh Lough the morning after the tragedy

The body of Reuven was found about 30 minutes after the first emergency call was made.

The NIFRS commander said Reuven's body was found "pretty much exactly where the boys had indicated".

Mr Deeney told the court and family members present that the boys' friends should be commended, adding that they had put themselves at risk while attempting to save their friends.

He said that, with all the equipment the emergency services had, it had still taken 20 minutes to recover the first body and there was nothing more the boys' friends could have done in the circumstances.

During evidence, a member of the Foyle Search and Rescue team told the court how they had deployed sonar equipment to find Joseph's body.

Divers helped bring his remains to shore later that evening.

Joseph was found four metres from the pontoon in water 3.8m (12.5ft) deep.

Enagh Lough is situated between Judges Road and Temple Road in Maydown

Several members of the emergency services who also gave evidence described how the water at Enagh Lough was shallow near the shore, gradually getting deeper.

However, it then dropped suddenly, they said.

When asked by the coroner what advice they would have for young people swimming in open water, the emergency services' witnesses all said people should not swim in water they were not familiar with.

One member of Foyle and Rescue Service said people should not be ashamed to wear a life jacket or to use a floatation device.

The coroner is expected to deliver her findings on Wednesday.