Two men aged 39 die in Barra dive accident Published duration 30 July 2017

image caption The men had gone diving at Castlebay in Barra

Two divers have died after getting into difficulty in waters off Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

The 39-year-old men were reported missing by a ferry boat skipper in Castlebay at 11:20 on Saturday after failing to resurface from their dive.

One of the men has been named locally as Iain MacDougall from Barra. The other man is thought to have been his friend who was visiting.

Police said the men's next of kin had been informed.

The men's bodies were recovered by the RNLI Barra lifeboat crew at about 13:00 on Saturday. They had been deployed along with the Coastguard after the alarm was raised on Saturday morning.

Mr MacDougall is thought to have had diving experience.

Ch Insp Gordon MacLeod said: "Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the families and friends of the two men who sadly died, as well as with the close community of Barra.

"I would also like to thank members of the public for their assistance to the emergency services during the search and rescue operation.