Emilis Vanagas: Tributes to boy, 15, who drowned in River Kelvin
Daiva Daivute, who is originally from Lithuania, shared a link to a GoFundMe page which has been set up in her son's memory.Writing on Facebook, she said: "My heart is broken my dear son. Always remember never forgotten. Forever 15."
Ms Daivute's sister-in-law Patrycja Majewska set up the fundraising page to help with the funeral costs and it has so far raised more than £4,500.She said Emilis had just celebrated his 15th birthday on 13 June and had the "whole of his life ahead of him but sadly lost his life".Ms Majewska posted: "His parents get tragically (sic) news on Saturday 12 July that they found Emilis in one of the river close to house and unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the scene."He lost his life but save two other lives and always will be remembered as a HERO."
Another aunt, Ema Kaftanikaitė, said the family was "heartbroken".She posted on Facebook: "We lost my beloved nephew Emilis far too soon - he was only 15 years old. "His life was full of love, laughter, and dreams that will now remain unfulfilled."No parent should ever have to bury their child."
Scotland's hottest day
People had flocked to beauty spots on Saturday as temperatures soared across Scotland.Forecasters said it was the hottest day since June 2023, with the Met Office recording the heat as 32.2C (89.96F) at Aviemore, in the Highlands.A temperature of 32C (89.6F) has only been recorded on six previous occasions in Scotland since 1961.Three other people died in separate incidents.A 63-year-old woman died in a fall near Campsie Glen waterfall in East Dunbartonshire.In East Lothian the body of a 39-year-old man was found in the River Tyne at Haddington.And a 50-year-old man who was pulled from the water at Loch Lomond on Saturday died in hospital on Sunday.Police Scotland said none of the deaths were being treated as suspicious.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Flash flooding and downpours bring chaos to roads and railways across Scotland
Flash flooding and torrential downpours have brought chaos to roads and railways across Scotland after more than two weeks worth of rain fell overnight. All trains between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh on the scenic Kyle Railway Line were cancelled after the track between Garve and Achanalt, in Ross-shire, was submerged underwater. Network Rail was forced to close the line after the heavy rain caused a 'significant' amount of silt and floodwater to cover the track. Images also showed the road leading to the station at Achanalt badly damaged and strewn with mud and gravel after more than two and a half inches (66.4mm) of rain - more than two weeks worth - fell between 2pm on Monday and 5am yesterday. To show the extent of the flooding, Network Rail shared a photo of the submerged track at Achanalt station, saying: 'Here's some footage of what we're dealing with at Achanalt. 'The speed and volume of the floodwater, plus the silt it's washing onto the tracks, makes it unsafe to run trains here.' Engineers were sent to assess the track with an inspection expected to take several hours as they worked to clear the lines. ScotRail confirmed that no stations along the route would be served until at least the end of the day [Tuesday]. The operator said: 'Our staff onsite continue to work to clear large amounts of debris and silt which are obstructing the track after previous flood water. The line remains closed.' Elsewhere in the Highlands water was seen streaming like a river onto the busy A835 near Ullapool, while two inches of rain fell near Loch Droma, which led to tumultuous water falls at Corrieshalloch Gorge. In Newton St Boswells, Roxburghshire, the water levels became so deep one resident was seen using a paddle board to cross a flooded section of road which had become impassible. Several buildings, including a Lidl supermarket, in Perth, were also reported to have been forced to shut due to the torrential downpours, with a yellow weather warning for parts of the country ending at 6am yesterday [Tuesday] as residents likened the conditions to a 'monsoon'. It comes as forecasters gave a glimmer of hope that the sun would break through the clouds later this week with a chance of thermometers hitting above 20C in cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh. But the Met office warned the sunshine will be 'quite short lived'. Meanwhile, residents in Tobermory, on the island of Mull, have been urged to take short showers amid 'extremely low' water supplies. Scottish Water has urged residents to use water as efficiently as possible in homes, businesses and gardens to help protect resources and maintain normal supplies following what has been the driest start to the year across Scotland since 1964.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Channel migrant crossings to double if Starmer crackdown fails
The number of illegal migrants crossing the Channel is forecast to double this year unless new government measures can curb the flow, independent modelling shows. The research by Richard Wood, one of Britain's top modelling forecasters, takes account of not only weather and sea conditions but also includes asylum grant rates, illegal immigration flows into Europe and dinghy size. His analysis, originally based on five years of data up to the end of 2024, has been accurate in forecasting the numbers reaching the UK so far this year based on 'favourable' weather conditions. More than 23,000 migrants have reached the UK this year, the highest in the first six months of any year since the first arrivals in 2018, which is nearly exactly what Mr Wood's good weather model predicted. He has now updated his analysis, based on the latest asylum grant rates, increasing dinghy size and immigration flows into the EU, and re-run the modelling based on weather data over the past 16 years. The data suggest that unless Sir Keir Starmer is successful in his attempt to stop the people smugglers, migrant crossings will rocket this year. The Prime Minister has negotiated a 'one in,one out' deal with the French by which illegal migrants coming to the UK will be swapped for people who are able to come here legally. If the weather is as good as it was in 2024, when there was a surge in crossings in the second half of the year, then the total number reaching the UK by the end of 2025 will be 44,628, according to Mr Wood's model. This is just below the number of migrant arrivals in 2022, the highest on record, when 45,774 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats. If, however, the weather is as bad as it was in the second half of 2023, then the total number crossing will be as low as 36,965. This would still be the second highest total on record. The data provide a benchmark against which the Government's new policy measures could be judged to establish if they have an effect on reducing the crossings. Mr Wood said: 'With the 37th UK-France Summit including various deterrent and enforcement pledges for reducing small-boat crossings, these predictions may serve as a useful benchmark against which progress can be assessed.' As well as the 'one in, one out' deal struck with Sir Keir, France is preparing to introduce tougher tactics where officers from an elite police unit will intercept the people smugglers' boats at sea within 300 metres of the coast in an attempt to stop them leaving the coast. They have also been experimenting with jet skis laying nets to snag the dinghies' propellers. Last week, Sir Keir secured a pledge from Friedrich Merz, the Germany's chancellor, that the country would introduce a new law by the end of the year to enable police to seize boats for use by people smugglers in the Channel. The model, which is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a migration journal, draws on data from sources including the Met Office, Channel Coastal Observatory, Home Office and European Border and Coast Guard Agency. It predicts the daily number of small-boat migrant arrivals for scenarios based on weather and sea conditions, EU illegal immigration, and other factors which may have a deterrent effect. It has two parts: the first that estimates the probability of a day being 'viable', and the second that estimates the number of migrant arrivals on such viable days. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'What we already know for sure is that 2025 to date has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel – it's up 50 per cent versus last year. 'The Government's laughable claim to smash the gangs lies in tatters. Now they think that confiscating mobile phones and sending a tiny number of people to France will make a difference 'Only a removals deterrent will end this madness – where every illegal immigrant is immediately removed upon arrival to their country of origin or to a safe third country. But Yvette Cooper and Keir Starmer are too weak to do that.'
BBC News
9 hours ago
- BBC News
Caledonian Isles: Arran ferry return delayed by up to four months
An ageing ferry which has not sailed since January last year could be out of service for another four months, operator CalMac has 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles was forced out of action 18 months ago, leaving a hole in the timetable for the west coast has now said the vessel will return to dry dock for further repairs - which will likely take between eight weeks and four months - prompting a re-think of the winter repair bill for the ferry, which has been side-lined from the Arran route since January 2024, has already risen to nearly £11m. Calmac said MV Caledonian Isles will enter drydock in Leith in the coming days for works to repair an issue with "instability in pitch response".The ferry will have its shaft lines removed for further investigation. This will take a minimum of eight weeks including sea this doesn't solve the problem - the retrofitting of a new system to improve the accuracy of the pitch input will be attempted. This would take four Mackison, CalMac CEO, said: "Based on the current prognosis, we could be in a situation where MV Caledonian Isles returns in September in a best-case scenario or November in a worst-case scenario."However, we intend to publish winter timetables soon and aim to give communities and customers certainty about service levels and vessel deployment during that period."This is a complex process as we need to develop this plan whilst factoring in an annual overhaul schedule that will see a fleet, which is another year older, spend a record of number of days in planned maintenance."The ferry operator's winter timetable runs from 20 October to 26 March 2026, and its entire fleet undergoes annual maintenance between September and May each year.
