'Heartbreaking' to watch helpless families at shoreline

An RNLI officer has described the heartbreaking and traumatic scenes of witnessing families watching on helplessly amid efforts to locate two missing teenage boys in the water off County Donegal.

Emmanuel Familola, 16, originally from Nigeria, and 18-year-old Matt Sibanda, from Zimbabwe died after getting into difficulty near Buncrana on Saturday.

Joe Joyce, the RNLI press officer for the Lough Swilly lifeboat station, said it was a very difficult incident to attend.

Hundreds of people attended a special service at St Mary's Oratory in Buncrana on Sunday in their memory.

The tragedy unfolded on Saturday afternoon after the Irish Coast Guard received a report of a number of people in difficulty in the water.

It is understood a group had been playing football on the beach at Ned's Point, just outside Buncrana, and some had gone into the water to retrieve a ball.

Later that evening, the body of Matt Sibanda was recovered from the water.

Emmanuel Familola was rescued and taken to Letterkenny University Hospital but he died in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A third teenage boy managed to make it back to shore.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Monday, Mr Joyce said a number of requests were made to Malin Head Coast Guard for assistance, and they launched two lifeboats.

"Malin Head also put out a 'Mayday', asking anyone in the vicinity to come and assist us."

He said a former RNLI crew member, who was on the lough in his own personal boat, assisted in the incident.

There was also an Irish Coast Guard helicopter and drones used in the search operation, Mr Joyce said.

"There was a local yacht race happening that day, and they stopped that and assisted with the search," he said, adding there were about 60 people involved in the search at that stage.

"It was terribly traumatic to look at the families watching out over the lough and praying," he said.

The third teenage boy was helped out of the water "with the assistance of a local man" and was able to "scramble" onto the coastal pathway, Mr Joyce added.

Mr Joyce said support services have been put in place following the incident.

"The schools have opened up to give counselling and we are looking after our own team, and everyone is just shocked."

"Father Bradley arrived on the scene to give comfort to the families and led a short prayer service," he said.

"There was an eeriness that hung over the pier — it was a terrible scene."

Mr Joyce said the area is a popular swimming spot and noted that waters can change dramatically and quickly.

Fr Francis Bradley said he was present alongside the family of Matt Sibanda.

He described the experience of standing beside the child's mother at the shoreline as "unspeakably tough".

"We simply said a prayer with Matt's mother, out over the water, simply begging God that his body would be found," he said.

"The power of a mother's love is amazing, as I stood there and listened to her call out Matt's name, trying her best to bring him back to life, as she once gave him life".

He said the area has been rocked by tragic events in recent years.

"They were children under international protection orders, but no international protection order unfortunately could prevent them from the tragedy that befell them," Fr Bradley told BBC Radio Foyle.

"It is truly unspeakable; it doesn't so much as leave numb but reminds you of the powerlessness of our human condition at times.

"One thing that crosses all boundaries is heartbreak, sorrow and grief."

Evelyn McLoughlin, principal of Scoil Mhuire in Buncrana, where Emmanuel attended, said there were "no words" that could "fully capture the pain and sorrow that we are feeling".

Kevin Cooley, principal of Crana College, where Matt attended, said "there is a dark cloud of sadness over Buncrana".

Councillor Fionán Bradley, who knew Emmanuel personally, said he was "a beautiful person inside and out".

"He was universally loved by everybody both inside and outside of school," he said.

"Since Saturday evening a real cloud of gloom and darkness, and a real sombre air has been over the whole town and whole community"

In a statement, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said it was "shocked and saddened" to learn of the passing of Emmanuel Familola, who participated in the department's Global Ireland Young Leaders programme last week.

"He was one of 30 Transition Year students from across the country learning about the work of the department and meeting officials engaged in different parts of its work," a spokesperson said.

"Emmanuel was clearly a bright, engaging, and popular young man, and his passing comes as a great shock to everyone who spent time with him."