
Pictured: Northern Irish boy, four, who was found dead in Tenerife swimming pool on family holiday
A four-year-old boy from Northern Ireland who tragically died after being pulled from a hotel swimming pool in Tenerife has been pictured for the first time.
Edward James Watson Massey, from Co Down, was found found unresponsive on Thursday, May 22 in a pool in San Miguel de Abona, a popular holiday spot in the south of the island.
A funeral notice for the young boy reads: 'Edward will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by all his friends and family circle.'
'He will be cherished in our hearts forever. Our lives will never be the same without him.'
He leaves behind parents Richard and Joanne and sister Victoria.
Emergency services rushed to José Miguel Galván Bello Avenue shortly before 5pm local time following reports of a child in cardiac arrest.
Several hotel guests, including individuals who identified themselves as doctors, reportedly joined the rescue efforts in a desperate attempt to revive the child.
It's understood that a nurse from the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) provided CPR instructions over the phone while medics scrambled to locate a defibrillator, The Sun reported.
Two advanced life support ambulances and a medical helicopter were sent to the scene.
However, despite the best efforts of paramedics, who carried out advanced resuscitation procedures, the child could not be saved.
Spanish broadcaster Telecinco stated: 'The child died after failing to recover from a cardiorespiratory arrest following a rescue from a hotel pool.'
Local police supported emergency teams at the scene, and the Civil Guard has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told The Sun: 'We are supporting the family of a British child who has died in Spain, and are in contact with the local authorities.'
The devastating tragedy comes after a a British woman died after plunging 60 feet from a scenic beauty spot in Majorca.
The 39-year-old was rushed to hospital on Monday after falling from a lookout point in the Palma neighbourhood of El Jonquet, which overlooks the sea.
Police and paramedics who responded to an emergency call stabilised her and she was transported to hospital, where she was admitted into an intensive care unit.
The unnamed Briton died the same night at Palma's Son Espases Hospital, according to reports.
Palma police have opened an investigation.
Insiders close to the ongoing probe confirmed police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy and said the woman's death was not being treated as a crime.
Detectives have spoken with witnesses who saw the woman fall.
It was not immediately clear if she was on holiday in Majorca or lived locally.
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BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Merthyr Tydfil: Where town where community spirit makes leaving hard
It's my auntie's 80th birthday and like many families, we're getting ready to together for family occasions isn't unusual, but what makes my story different is that nearly all of us live within five miles of each up isn't just for special events; it's part of our everyday life - and honestly, I love up in Merthyr Tydfil, my childhood was full of love, laughter, and every school show and sports day a crowd of proud faces filled the back of the hall - my family, cheering me on with beaming smiles. That kind of support was, and still is, a constant in my life. But Merthyr isn't many towns, it faces real challenges - poverty, limited job opportunities, and at times a heavy mood that lingers in the realities pushed me toward city life, and in September 2024, I moved to Cardiff in search of something I couldn't stay a few months later I was back living in my parents' house, reunited with everything familiar.I know I'm not alone in this pull towards to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 1,550 students from Merthyr were enrolled in higher education last those, more than 70% studied at universities within 35 miles (56km) of home while around 20% went outside Wales, compared to 33% across the country as a what is it about Merthyr Tydfil that keeps so many of us rooted here - or, like me, draws us back even after we leave? Both Finley Dummett and Bronnie Mai Jones love their life in Merthyr Tydfil and are content with their decision to stay in the town. Finley, 21, dropped out of Cardiff University after three months for an apprenticeship with GE Aerospace in Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Taf, as it "combined hands-on experience with earning"."I've stayed in Merthyr because of the strong sense of community and being close to my family and friends."Out of all his friends, Finley said only one of them left home to go to university. Finley added he liked the fact that on a night out "everyone knows everyone", and said when he has visited friends who have moved away he has felt "out of my comfort zone". "Coming back to Merthyr to come back home I do feel more comfortable and I feel like I can be more myself," he said. "Whereas in other places I feel I'm not really understood and I feel out of place." He added he hoped to stay near his family and friends so that he's "only a foot away from them". Bronnie, 21, also agreed it was the strong sense of community and comfort that makes Merthyr so special to her. After leaving school, she chose to do an apprenticeship with Welsh Water so she could stay close to her family and remain in the town where she was raised. While some of her friends have moved away for university, she said many, like her, chose to stay local to be near loved ones. Looking to the future, Bronnie said she doesn't see herself leaving as she hopes to buy a home and raise a family in the same close-knit community she grew up in. For her Merthyr is where she feels most at ease and in other places she said she doesn't feel comfortable."I feel like Merthyr is where I belong," she added. As part of my journey to understand why so many people never leave Merthyr Tydfil, I sat down for a chat with my mam, Sian me, she grew up here. Although she moved away to study teaching at Swansea University for four years, she returned home after 2002 she and my dad spent a year in Australia on a teacher exchange programme and while she loved the experience, she still chose to come back to Merthyr."What brought me back was the fact that I needed my family and friends around me after a year of being away. I missed everybody. "I needed the support of my family when I was bringing up a young family myself, to be able to carry on with my work."Out of all her school friends she said the majority have stayed in Merthyr too, mostly for the same reasons: the family network, the support, the sense of community, and the familiarity of a place where everyone knows one another. My mother has admitted that at times she's wondered if there might have been more "aesthetically pleasing" places to raise me and my when I asked her if she had any regrets about staying, her answer was simple: "Never". "I've always loved living here," she said. "If I need anything I know there'll be someone I can call on."Everybody knows each other - if you go to Tesco, it takes 30 minutes just to get around because you stop to chat with everyone," she added. This year Merthyr is marking a particularly important Cyfarthfa Castle celebrates its 200th birthday, BBC Cymru Wales is marking the bicentenary with a special series of programmes over the next two weeks. This includes a a special programme with Ruth Jones and Steve Spier all about celebrating the history, culture, and people of Merthyr Tydfil - the world's first industrial town. The next stop on my journey was my former school Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun, where I sat down to have a chat with Year 12 students from Merthyr Tydfil as they begin to decide what their futures perspectives were 16, said he wanted to study geography at university away from home to try and find better added: "I want to experience new things and have my own independence and further myself as a person."This isn't something I think I could do in Merthyr."Charlie said he was the only one in his friendship group planning to move away, as many of his friends are either unsure about university or want to stay local and commute to Cardiff or Swansea. Eve, 17, wants to study ancient history or journalism at universities in Exeter, Bristol or Bath because she feels "there are more opportunities outside Wales". She said: "I want to just broaden my friend group, maybe meet new people and gain some independence away from home. "If I went to Cardiff I don't think I'd get as much independence as it would if I went away." As the first in her family to attend university and move away, Eve feels supported but is determined to pursue a different path from her farming family, although she would consider returning to Merthyr if her career led her back. Meanwhile, Ava, 17, plans to take a gap year to travel before attending university, likely in England. She feels Merthyr is "confined " as "everyone knows everyone" and wants to experience new cultures and meet different people, even though her "close-knit" family is nervous about her leaving."I want to see more and do more in my life," she many of her friends also want to leave, Ava hopes the gap year will help her build the courage to make the move."It's an important experience to get away from where you live to see more," she added. The school's head of sixth form, Gareth Jones, said that while university destinations vary each year, the school has seen a decline in the number of students choosing to attend university, largely due to financial added many students from Merthyr and the valleys prefer to stay close to home for university, choosing places like Cardiff or Swansea which offer both "new experiences" and "proximity to family". "I speak to a lot of different admissions officers and there seems to be a family pull in the valleys that you don't necessarily get in English areas. "The connections to parents, particularly the connections to grandparents and extended families is really important to these young people and the idea of perhaps moving away and being detached from that is huge," Mr Jones also explained how economic factors and fear of student debt - especially among first-generation university applicants - heavily influence many of the students' his role, Mr Jones said his goal is to support each student in making choices based on what best suits their financial situation, family ties, and future career path - without dictating their choices. For now, it's the little things that keep me here - the community, the humour, the warmth, and a feeling I can't find anywhere are the reasons I choose to one day I'll change my mind and leave, but wherever I go, Merthyr Tydfil will always be the place I call home.


BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ballymena: Disorder in town after alleged sexual assault of girl
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Blaze that killed 'lovely little girl', nine, and her father while mother 'was away on Eid pilgrimage' could have been started by tumble dryer, fire chairman says
A devastating house fire that killed a 'lovely little' nine-year-old girl and her father could have been started by a tumble dryer, a fire chairman has said. The inferno engulfed the family's red-brick semi-detached home on Russell Close in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, at around 5am yesterday, while the mother was in Saudi Arabia for Hajj during Eid celebrations. While on the pilgrimage, she had left her taxi driver husband, who locals today named as Sohaib Ahmed, 38, in charge of their two daughters and son. Neighbours say the boy, who is the family's eldest, had been staying with relatives on Saturday night and was not at home when the fire broke out. However, his two young sisters aged nine and 11 were inside the property with their father. All three had to be rescued from the burning building by firefighters, but Mr Ahmed was tragically pronounced dead at the scene and his daughter Manahil Ahmed died yesterday in hospital. The 11-year-old girl remains in critical condition as she continues to fight for her life. The family's mother, Asifa Ahmed, 38, is thought to have touched back down in the country today after flying back from the Middle East. Devastated neighbours today said they 'don't know how' Mrs Ahmed will deal with the grief of losing both her husband and her 'sweet, lovely little girl', Manahil. One said: 'Everyone knew her and the rest of the family; they'd lived here over a decade and were very nice people. We're praying the other sister pulls through. What's happened is awful news.' Former neighbours Andy Boys, 30, and Mehvish Iqbal, 29, lay floral tributes outside the fire damaged house, which has the doorway boarded up after firefighters wrenched off the front door to gain entry into the blazing building. Mr Iqbal said: 'My son used to play outside with her little girl, the one that has passed away. It is just awful. 'To know that the mother is away in Mecca and she is coming back to this, I don't know how she is going to deal with it mentally. The girls are lovely little girls, I pray that her older sister pulls through.' Mr Boys added: 'They were lovely neighbours, we lived next door.' Ali Arshad, a borough councillor in Heckmondwike, said the full community was in shock, adding: 'The lady had gone to perform Hajj. It should have been a joyous time for her, now we're looking at a tragedy for the whole family.' West Yorkshire Police said it is still investigating the cause of the fire, but Darren O'Donovan, a councillor for Dewsbury West and chairman of the fire authority, said the blaze may have been started by a tumble dryer. Mr O'Donovan said: 'It's clearly a tragic event for the family and people that live in that neighbourhood. 'My thoughts and condolences go out to the family and those affected by this. We believe that the fire started about an hour before the 999 call came in.' He said early indications suggested 'the fire started in the kitchen area and its ignition source was a tumble dryer.' 'There are a number of tumble dryers that have been recalled by a number of manufacturers,' he added. 'That's the tragedy: this was just a local family on a very regular street in Heckmondwike and a tragic accident has taken place. 'I think the community is rallying and pulling together to support other members of the family and friends that are affected by this.' Another neighbour recalled witnessing the fire tear through the property and said it 'seemed to go on forever'. They said: 'I heard sirens on Sunday morning and then looked out to see the smoke and the emergency crews doing CPR on the dad and kids. It seemed to go on forever, it was horrendous.' He said the children attended Crossley Fields Junior and Infant School. Councillor Viv Kendrick, who represents the Heckmondwike ward, said she was 'horrified' after the incident. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it sent four crews to tackle the blaze, which was reported at around 6am. Detective Inspector Paul Greatorex, of West Yorkshire Police, said: 'We are continuing to work with colleagues at the fire service to investigate this dreadfully sad incident, which has resulted in a father and daughter losing their lives. 'Extensive inquiries have been ongoing since yesterday and we have been working to locate and support relatives of the victims both here and outside of the UK at what is clearly an awful time for the family. 'While our inquiries remain ongoing, we do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances regarding the cause of the fire and will be preparing a file for the coroner in due course. 'Our support for the family involved clearly also still continues.' Cllr O'Donovan said that the fire and rescue service would have an increased presence in the neighbourhood over the next few days to speak with neighbours about fire prevention measures. He encouraged people to check they had working smoke alarms, a night-time routine which included turning off electrical equipment and closing internal doors and to check the recall lists for tumble dryers from brands including Hoover, Haier, Candy, Lamona, Capel, Baumatic, Montpellier and Iberna.