Bath weir death: Friends drowned in river on day off

Two friends died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Avon, an inquest has heard.

Velly Souza, 25, and Samuel Fernandes, 20, were pulled from the water at Bathampton Weir in Bath on 28 May.

The Tesco workers, both from the Swindon area, had travelled to the area with friends on a day off.

Avon Coroner's Court was told witnesses described hearing shouting before the men disappeared underwater, and others at the weir attempted to rescue them.

Teams from Avon Fire & Rescue Service later recovered their bodies and they were pronounced dead at the scene.

Post-mortem examinations found the men, both from Goa, had died from drowning.

Avon coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said: "It is tragic that a day which started out as a day of enjoyment for these young people ended so tragically.

"It serves only to highlight the dangers of swimming in water that may appear calm but can have undercurrents."

The inquest heard that the two men arrived at the weir with four friends at about 15:45 BST when five of them entered the river.

Ronel Siqueria described how he panicked after entering the water as he was unable to touch the bottom.

"The water was cold, which shocked me because it was quite a warm day," he said in a statement.

"It was like a current under the water was pulling me down. I thought I was going to die."

Mr Siqueria was thrown a float by a member of the public and pulled to the river bank before being taken to hospital.

Another friend, Feema Da Cunha, described how Mr Souza and Mr Fernandes "were not moving their arms and I could see their heads slowly going under the surface of the water".

A pathologist confirmed that neither of the men had consumed alcohol or drugs before their deaths.