Two teens who drowned in Donegal tragedy entered water to retrieve soccer ball

Extra.ie​

12-05-2025

Two teenage boys playing on a beach in Co Donegal to cool off in the heatwave have died. One drowned and the other passed away in hospital after being rescued.
A 16-year-old Nigerian-Irish boy and his 18-year-old friend, of Zimbabwe-Irish nationality, lost their lives and another male was injured after getting into difficulty while swimming in Lough Swilly, near Buncrana, Co. Donegal, on Saturday afternoon.
The two boys who died have been named locally as Emmanuel Famiola, from Nigeria, and his older friend Matt Sibanda, from Zimbabwe. Matt Sibanda. Pic: File
The pair, who were living in separate International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres with their families, went to the beach with two other boys to play soccer.
It is understood that when they were playing, the ball went into the sea, and the two victims, along with another friend, went into the water to retrieve it.
The fourth friend stayed on the beach and raised the alarm at around 4 pm after the three teenagers, aged from 14 to 18, got into difficulty while swimming.
One of the three boys was able to swim ashore. The 14-year-old has been hospitalised but is expected to make a full recovery, emergency services said.
A multi-agency search-and-rescue operation was initiated, and two RNLI lifeboats were helped by the Greencastle and Mulroy-based Coast Guard units, with aid from scores of other boats and volunteers. Emmanuel Famiola. Pic: File
The Sligo-based Sikorsky Rescue 118 helicopter was also involved, and the Malin Head Coast Guard coordinated the rescue operation.
The body of one of the teenagers was recovered from an area known as Ned's Point and Fahan at around 9 pm on Saturday.
The second teenager was rescued and taken to Letterkenny University Hospital but unfortunately, died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Matt Sibanda was a student of Crana College, while Emmanuel Famiola went to Scoil Mhuire. In a joint statement, principals Kevin Cooley of Crana College and Evelyn McLoughlin of Scoil Mhuire said the school communities are devastated by this heartbreaking loss.
They said: 'Emmanuel and Matt were deeply respected and valued members of our student bodies, and their passing has left us all in profound shock. Pic:'Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and with the wider Buncrana community. This is a tragedy that words cannot fully express.
'In the coming days, weeks and months, we will continue to support our students, families and staff with care and compassion.
'Our priority remains the well-being of everyone in our community. We extend our deepest gratitude to the emergency services and rescue teams for their swift and courageous response.'
The principals added that they will provide a space for students, staff and parents to gather, support one another and begin the healing process.
The schools will reopen as normal today, with extensive support in place for those affected. Both schools activated their critical incident plans in the aftermath of the tragedy. Student support teams, critical incident teams and staff members are working to provide support to students, parents, and colleagues.
Prayers were said at local Masses this morning for the three young men and their families. Buncrana parish priest Fr Francis Bradley said: 'Shock wouldn't really cover it. We are a beauty spot, and because of that, it is almost like there are sirens calling people into the water.
'These young lads, they weren't aware of the dangers. It's beautiful, yes, but there are tremendous dangers, especially when the tide is pulling out, there are huge currents, and unfortunately, they were not able to fight that or to understand to go along with it or find a little (place) where they could get out of the water.'
He added: 'The feeling in the community is one of bewilderment, but of great solidarity too, and a great sense of loss. These are new parishioners, they are new members of our community.'
Local Sinn Féin county councillor Jack Murray admitted that there were 'no words' to describe how the community in Buncrana felt following the tragedy.
He praised the work of all the volunteers involved in the rescue, along with emergency services, who assisted.
Cllr Murray added: 'Our emergency services have once again demonstrated courage and professionalism in unthinkable circumstances. We have been hit with so many tragedies and horrendous events in this area. Each time the emergency services are called upon, they stand up without fail.'
A prayer vigil was held at 4 pm yesterday in St Mary's Oratory, Buncrana, to offer support. Councillor Joy Beard, who attended the scene on Saturday evening, said the community is in shock and disbelief.
The 100% Redress party councillor said yesterday: 'This morning we awoke to the devastating news that a second teenager involved in yesterday's tragic events has sadly passed away in the early hours of this morning.
'As a community, we are devastated beyond words to have lost two young lives so full of promise.'
A Garda spokesman said investigations were ongoing. The local coroner has been notified, and post-mortems will be arranged.
A spokesman for Malin Head Coast Guard said an alert was raised shortly before 4 pm by a member of the public who reported a number of people in difficulty in the water.
The spokesman added: 'The Coast Guard would like to thank all the search-and-rescue units and members of the public who were on scene for their assistance.'
In a separate incident, the body of a man was recovered from the sea just off the Wexford coast on Saturday afternoon.
An RNLI lifeboat, along with the Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Sikorsky Helicopter 117, based out of Waterford Airport, were called out to the scene close to Wexford Harbour.
It is understood that the body was located at around 3 pm near the harbour and may have been in the water for some time.
The man's body was brought to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) for a post-mortem examination to be carried out.
The coroner's office was notified. Gardaí were alerted to the discovery of a body in the sea off the coast of Wexford around 2pm.
'The deceased male was recovered by the Coast Guard and RNLI in the Irish Sea, east of Raven Point, and brought to shore,' a spokesman said.
The dead man was unidentified yesterday, and efforts are ongoing to establish who he was.