A 34-year-old Co Fermanagh man was swept away and drowned after he jumped into a swollen river in an attempt to rescue his dog, an inquest heard yesterday.
Martin Gerald Logue, of Glen Road, Drumquin, was out for his regular Sunday afternoon walk along the banks of the River Bannagh, near Kesh, with his wife, son and nephew, when tragedy occurred last April.
His widow, Donna, told the inquest in Enniskillen that, at about 5pm they were taking their walk with the dog and, as usual, the dog had gone for a swim in a rock pool.
However, the inquest heard, after incessant rain, the river was swollen and fast flowing.
"The dog was swept away by the current. He was obviously tying to fight the current and swim back, but couldn't." She said her husband said he would wade in to try to get the dog, but she told him not to.
Her husband waded in anyway, she said. "The water was below his knees. There was a life ring nearby and I went to get it, but, when I turned back, Martin must have slipped and disappeared.
"He came back up and went under again. This happened a few times." Ms Logue said she shouted to her son and nephew to run and raise the alarm. "A few moments later I saw Martin floating down the river. He was face down and on the other side of the river." She said she ran to dial 999 and raise the alarm.
A search was mounted and an RNLI lifeboat was called in.
Police Constable Gordon Lee told the inquest there had been "heavy, incessant rain" and the river was "heavily swollen and fast flowing". He said the search went on through the evening but was called off at 9.30pm without Mr Logue being found. It resumed again the next day and the body was recovered within 30 minutes.
Coroner John Leckey recorded that Mr Logue had died from freshwater drowning. "He was attempting to rescue his dog, the river was swollen by heavy rain and he was swept away," he recorded.
He said it was the instinct of dog owners to try to rescue their pets in such circumstances. But he added: "So often the person attempting the rescue dies and the animal survives. On this occasion, however, the dog was never recovered." - (PA)