Cousin speaks of deaths at lake

The trio were part of a Sikh martial arts group

The cousin of one of three youths who died in the Lake District has told how they plunged more than 18ft to their deaths down a hidden drop in the water.

Harvinder Singh, 15, Tajinder Singh, 21, and Satvir Singh, 17, died in Ullswater on Saturday.

The Wolverhampton trio were part of a group enjoying a paddle, when one slipped, sparking a rescue effort.

Another 15-year-old boy, who was rescued from the water, has now been released from hospital.

Another cousin told how the three were well-known in their community and would be deeply missed.

Cumbria Police said the three victims were not closely related, but may have been from the same extended family.

'Deeply missed'

Harvinder's cousin Simran Singh said the three were part of a Sikh martial arts group that had gone to the Lake District for a short break.

He said: "They felt like going into the lake for a quick paddle and Harvinder, Satvir and Tajinder, all three of them, they went into the lake.

"The water was up to about their chest, they were just having fun playing around just like kids do, and they weren't to know that further on there was a 20ft drop.

"And Satvir didn't know how to swim and as they got further away from the shore he just panicked and the other two, Harvinder and Tajinder, they kept assuring him, they told him 'don't worry about it'.

"Harvinder on one side was holding him and his cousin Tajinder was holding him on the other side and then they just fell back and dropped."

Extremely cold

He described his cousin as "lively and inspirational" and said it would be hard without him.

Another of Harvinder's cousins, Aman Singh said they would be deeply missed.

Another 15-year-old boy was pulled to safety in the incident. He was taken to hospital, where his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

Those involved in the rescue told of the potential dangers of the lake, where a shallow area drops sharply into deep extremely cold water.

A statement from the rescued boy's family said: "We would like to thank all those who have helped our son over the past few days, in particular the close community in which we live, the rescue services and the staff at Cumbria Infirmary.

"Our thoughts are with all the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Our son is now making good progress."