Buncrana drowning tragedy: Schools pay tribute to teens ‘full of potential'

Belfast Telegraph

13-05-2025

Two teenagers – Emmanuel Familola (16) from Nigeria and Matt Sibanda (18), who was from Zimbabwe – died after getting into difficulty off the coast at Buncrana on Saturday.
A third teenager, believed to be aged 19, was taken to hospital.
It is understood the boys had entered the water to retrieve a football.
The teenagers were international protection applicants who had lived in the area with their families.
The incident unfolded at around 4pm on Saturday when six teenagers were gathered at Ned's Point and three of them entered the water.
The trio got into difficulty with one of the males making it back to the shore, while the other two remained in the water.
A number of people raised the alarm, and two RNLI lifeboats were launched immediately from the two stations in Buncrana.
The Coastguard issued a 'mayday' alarm and asked for any vessels in the vicinity to come and assist.
Joe Joyce, a member of RNLI Lough Swilly, explained that a former Lough Swilly RNLI crew member was on the water at the time and immediately joined the search.
'They immediately came to the scene and recovered one person onto their boat and brought them to the lifeboat where two other crew members joined them.
'The young boy was a 16-year-old, and he was brought to the pier in Buncrana.
'The ambulance service was there and immediately started life saving treatment.
'That continued for possibly an hour and the decision was made then by the National Ambulance Service to transport him by road to Letterkenny University Hospital.
'Unfortunately, he subsequently passed away in the early hours of this morning,' said Mr Joyce.
At this stage, the search was continuing.
The local yacht club in Buncrana was holding a race on the water at the time of the incident and the race was abandoned as those vessels opted to assist in the search.
The multi-agency search operation, which included a drone team and local boats from the Foyle Marina, consisted of about 60 rescue service personnel who searched the water for almost six hours.
'The involvement of the local boats allowed us to cover a vast area of the Lough in a very quick period and we ran a number of searches up and down the Lough,' said Mr Joyce.
After 9pm, the team started to lose light and were preparing to wind down the search until low tide at midnight, when a body was found in the water close to the former Fruit of the Loom factory, a place known locally as The Fishing Greens.
The body was returned to Buncrana Pier where his family and a medical team were waiting.
Both those who died attended school in Buncrana, where Matt was a student of Crana College, while Emmanuel attended Scoil Mhuire and had just completed Transition Year.
In a statement online, Scoil Mhuire said he was 'ambitious and full of potential' while also appreciative of the opportunities he was given and he never failed to show gratitude.
'There are no words that can fully capture the pain and sorrow we are feeling right now, We are truly heartbroken.
'Emmanuel embodied the true ethos of Scoil Mhuire.
"He was known for his warm personality, gentle humour, and thoughtful nature.
"He immersed himself fully in our school community and was highly regarded by staff and students alike.
'Emmanuel had just completed Transition Year and was looking forward to starting his Senior Cycle.
"Just last week he completed a work experience in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin which he thoroughly enjoyed.
"He was ambitious and full of potential, always appreciative of the opportunities he was given and he never failed to show gratitude.'
Meanwhile, Crana College said the entire community school community was heartbroken following Saturday's tragic events.
Matt joined the school in January 2024 and he was preparing to sit his Leaving Certificate.
"It is with deep sorrow that we confirm the loss of our beloved student, Matt Sibanda, who tragically lost his life at sea,' the college said.
"Our heartfelt condolences go to Matt's family, who are grieving the unimaginable loss of their cherished son and loved one.'
The Department of Foreign Affairs said Emmanuel had participated in its Global Ireland Young Leaders Programme last week.
In a statement, the Department said: 'Emmanuel was very evidently a bright, engaging and popular young man and his passing comes as a great shock to everyone who spent time with him last week.'
Funeral details are yet to be confirmed.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin paid tribute to the teenagers and said it was a 'heartbreaking loss'.
"Very saddened at the shocking and tragic passing of Emmanuel Familola and Matt Sibanda in Buncrana over the weekend,' he said.
'A heartbreaking loss of two young lives.