It was too late to save them

Standing chest-deep in water, he and other firefighters carried out a fingertip search of the boat to find one of the victims.

But by the time he was located, the passenger was already dead.

Their efforts followed a heroic bid by a 15-year-old boy and his father to save the three other trapped passengers.

The accident took place on the Leeds-Liverpool at Gargrave near Skipton yesterday afternoon.

The canal's worst-ever tragedy claimed the lives of one woman and three men with learning difficulties who were holidaying on the canal for the second time this year.

Four others on board - all abled-bodied who escaped unscathed - also made valiant efforts to save the victims.

Police believe the four disabled people died after their boat became snagged in a sluice at Stegneck Lock.

Water poured into the stern of the 40ft boat, named Drum Major from Silsden Boat Yard, rapidly flooding the vessel.

The boat was going through the lock at the same time as its sister vessel Dan's Drum, which had a family of six on board. The victims were on a trip from a Cumbria centre for adults with special needs.

The alarm was raised by a British Waterways worker, who was patrolling the canal bank, just before 3pm

The dead were today named as Peter Burgess, of Thornton Park, Dalton-in-Furness, Beverley Wilson, 33, of Abbey Road, Barrow, John McGill, 49, of Yewdale Ave, Barrow, and Eric Jones, 43, of Granville Street, Barrow.

Richard and Barbara Bradburn, who own Silsden Boats where the party had booked their narrow boat, said today they were shocked by the tragedy,

"We still can't believe it," said Mr Bradburn. "I can't see anything we could have done different. This party from Barrow-in-Furness has been coming with us for four years, they come twice a year and the leader of the group Roy Green has his own boat. He is an experienced boatman."

"We always give half an hour to three quarters of an hour's tuition and we have a model of a lock to show people."

He said the party left on Sunday and were expected back tomorrow.

Meanwhile a full investigation into the accident was under way today.

The 15-year-old rescuer was on a canal holiday with his family from Nottinghamshire when the boat alongside them in the lock started sinking.

Police said four carers looking after the adults, who were on lock duty at the side of the canal, also dived in to try to save the victims.

A North Yorkshire police spokeswoman said: "They made a superhuman effort." Three of the victims were dragged to the top of the boat by the boy and his father but could not be resuscitated by the emergency services.

The fourth victim was later pulled free by retained firefighters Eddie Atkinson and Steven Barrett, of Skipton fire station.

Leading fireman Atkinson, who was up to chest in water, described the moment he discovered one of the bodies: "I felt what I thought was some clothing and it turned out to be the poor chap.

"It was very tense because we didn't know if the boat was on the bottom or was still sinking."

A police spokesman hailed the rescuers as "true heroes".

He said: "This was an incredibly dangerous rescue bid, diving into the dark water into a boat that had sunk is very dangerous.

"These people made an incredible effort and are deeply distressed that they didn't manage to save their lives. The four carers, two male and two female, had been accompanying the four disabled people on a week long trip along the canal point. They had taken the boat last Friday.

"The family on the second boat included grandparents, parents and two teenage children from the Nottingham and Cheshire area."

The alarm was raised by a British Waterways worker who was patrolling the canal bank when he came across the horrific scene.

Police believe the four disabled people died after their hired boat became snagged in a sluice in Stegneck Lock, (correct) near Gargrave.

Water poured into the stern of the 40ft boat - named Drum Major from Silsden Boat Yard - rapidly flooding the vessel.

It was going through the lock at the same time as its sister vessel called Dan's Drum which had a family of six on board.

The victims were on a trip from a Cumbria centre for adults with special needs.

Ambulance crews and firefighters battled for about 30 minutes to save the four disabled people but they were pronounced dead at the scene.

This morning an orange lifebelt, seat cushions, towels and other items of clothing floated in the shallow water of the Leeds Liverpool Canal telling a moving story of yesterday afternoon's tragedy.

Other debris - parts of a kitchen top, lengths of timber and bedding litter the water of the canal below Stegneck Lock and the ancient stone bridge.

The two stricken vessels are still in the same position but this time both lock gates are closed to hold them in.

Today British Waterways and other officials expected to float the maroon narrow boats down to Silsden, their base.

The area was still cordoned off this morning by police and British Waterways workers are prepared to refill the length of canal.

Meanwhile the emergency services were due to meet at Skipton police station to decide on today's strategy.

Last night families of the deceased were informed but police said they would not release details until later today.

The carers and the family on the narrowboat have been interviewed by police.

A police woman who counselled the four survivors in the hours after the accident said they had made heroic efforts to save the people they were looking after.

PC Caroline Ainsworth, 25, said: "To say they were distraught would be a massive understatement, they were beside themselves. They are simply too shocked to talk much about it, but one thing is for certain, they all tried their best to save the others.

"They have all told how they went into the water and tried to get hold of the people who were inside while the boat was becoming submerged under water.

"In the end it boiled down to them becoming caught or having to get out themselves."

North Yorkshire Fire Service assistant divisional officer Stuart Stoney said: "It was a terrible scene and a traumatic experience for the people trying to help.

"When we arrived ambulance crew were working on three people on top of the boat and we were told someone else was missing.

"Men put on breathing gear and got into the water. It was up to their necks and very murky and they had to feel about.

"Eventually they found another person halfway down the boat. That person was brought out and Ambulance people attempted to revive them."

Melvyn Birks, service manager at Airedale General Hospital, Steeton, said: "The five-strong rescue team led by A&E consultant Dr Mike Dudley went out there and attempted to resuscitate four people, but they were unsuccessful.

"Four people were pronounced dead at the scene. It appears they had some disability, either mental or physical, that prohibited them from doing what everybody else did and getting off the boat. Others looked wet and shocked - they have not come to hospital, but they may come later."

A spokesman for the North West region of British Waterways said: "We want to know what has happened to see if there are things we can improve, but we would be very surprised if there was anything that wasn't acceptable."

He said people were given instructions about using hire boats and locks before they took the craft away.

Chief Executive of Craven District Council Gillian Taylor said it would launch a major investigation to the accident in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive.

She said: "The whole of the community is in a state of shock.

"We have a responsibility to do all we can to find out precisely what happened.

"As soon as we heard of yesterday's incident officers from the local authority rushed to the scene and they will be there this morning (Thursday)."

She said the canal would be drained and the boats hauled out of the water by cranes later today.

A forensic investigation will take place in order to help unfold the chain of events, said Mrs Taylor.

David Blackburn of British Waterways said: "This is a tragic accident but thankfully very rare. Going through a lock with another boat alongside is regarded as the safest way.

"We understand one boat became snagged on a sluice. This very occasionally happens but it has not resulted in fatalities before."

He said British Waterways, and the Health and Safety Executive would be carrying out an investigation alongside the Police.

The rescue operation was helped by British Waterways rapidly draining a section of the canal to expose both boats. Station officer Carl Sobota of Skipton fire station said: "The boat carrying the people who have perished went into the lock first followed by another boat. At some stage, I presume it was when the gates had been closed and they were changing the levels, the people on the second boat, noticed the first boat had got snagged up on the lock gates in front. The boat was starting to rise up out of the water at the front.

"They tried to do something but at some stage, there was an inrush of water into the lock and into the boat that had got snagged.

"That caused this terrible tragedy. When I arrived paramedics were trying to help three people, a fourth person was still in the cabin of the boat.

"Two of our officers, firefighter Steve Barrett and leading firefighter Eddie Atkinson waded in to the chest-high water and recovered the fourth person but nothing could be done."

Deadly side to a tourist trap

The scenic stretch of the 127-mile Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Gargrave is a tourist trap with thousands of people travelling along it each year or walking the tow paths.

British Waterways say boating is generally safe but publish leaflets warning that it could also be a death trap if people do not take care.

In 1985 a family jumped to safety after an accident at Holbridge, one of the Gargrave Flight of six locks. Two long boats jammed while negotiating the lock and one keeled over against the other as the lock was still filling.

The timetable of tragedy

2.58pm Ambulance and police called out to reports of "sinking boat" with one person trapped at canal at Gargrave.

3.07pm Fire service called out to scene. Crews from Skipton, Acomb and Tadcaster called out.

3.08pm An ambulance is the first vehicle on the scene. Paramedics begin work trying to revive victims.

3.22pm Retained firefighters from Skipton arrive at scene.

3.30pm Boat completely submerged. Retained firefighters Eddie Atkinson and Steve Barrett plunge into the water to rescue fourth victim. Meanwhile paramedics are trying to revive three victims - one already pronounced dead.

3.40pm Firefighters bring fourth male victim out of the water.

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