Residents have been left shocked following the death of a 17-year-old boy in Foulridge.
The teenager died after getting into difficulty in water at Lake Burwain Sailing Club last night. His body was recovered at 5-40am this morning.
Locals walking past the cordoned scene this morning have described the incident as “heartbreaking” and “a real tragedy”, with one passer-by telling Leader Times Newspapers: “I was sat in the kitchen when I heard the helicopter last night. It was out for about 40 to 50 minutes, going round and round and round.
“It is just awful - every time we get a bit of nice weather something happens.”
Another said: “I saw the raft in the middle of the reservoir, and heard some lads shouting ‘help’.”
And a walker added: “It’s heartbreaking, and will affect the whole village. It is tragic.”
Police have confirmed that the teenager had launched a raft into the water with six others before he drowned.
Emergency services were called at 7-30pm last night and the Underwater Search Unit continued to search throughout the night.
Five were rescued and were unhurt, while a sixth was taken by ambulance to hospital for a check-up.
More to follow.