36 year old dies in Highland canoe accident

Royal Navy helicopter rescue crew called out on their last day of duty

Published 1st Jan 2016

A man has died after falling out of a canoe into a Highland river.

The 36 year old was airlifted to hospital after he and an 18-year-old man got into difficulty in the River Garry, near the village of Invergarry, south of Loch Ness, at around 12.30pm on Thursday.

Police Scotland said the older man later died in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, while the younger man was discharged.

Next of kin have been informed but formal identification has yet to take place.

Police Scotland confirmed one of the men had managed to guide himself to the shore, while the other was carried further downstream before being airlifted to safety by a Royal Navy rescue helicopter.

It was one of the final missions for the military crews based at HMS Gannet at Prestwick who are handing over to a civilian service today.

The familliar Sea King helicopters are being replaced by new Sikorsky S92 aircraft painted in the red and white Coastguard liverty and operated by private firm Bristow in a 10 year contract with the UK Government to provide search and rescue from 10 bases around the country.