Divers' bid to save waterfall duo

The Nantcol falls at Llanbedr have been closed for the day as a mark of respect

Two amateur divers have described how they spent an hour in a waterfall pool desperately searching for a missing girl and man in north Wales.

The bodies of the man, 33, and the three-year-old girl, believed to be his daughter, were later found in the water at the falls in Llanbedr near Harlech.

The pair were reported missing on Saturday after falling 50ft (15m) from the Nantcol falls.

Police say a joint investigation with Gwynedd council is underway.

The man and girl are from the Manchester area and were staying at the nearby Shell Island campsite with members of their extended family.

The site manager of the Shell Island campsite, Richard Workman, was one of the divers who volunteered to help in the search, along with a colleague, James Hordley.

"We saw the helicopter hovering over the waterfall and it was obvious something was wrong," said Mr Workman.

All I could think about was the little girl... sadly we couldn't save them. Diver, James Hordley

"James and I offered to get into our diving gear and help with the search and police said yes.

"We were out there for about an hour."

The alarm was raised at just after 1600 BST on Saturday, sparking a search-and-rescue operation involving North Wales Police, Fire and Rescue, and the ambulance service.

"The family were there at the time, but taken away from sight while the search was taking place," added Mr Workman.

Despite the efforts of the emergency crews and the volunteer divers, the bodies of the father and daughter were discovered at the foot of the waterfall just before 1800 BST.

Mr Hordley said it was a desperate search for the little girl and her father.

He said: "All I could think about was the little girl and getting her back safely.

"Things moved very fast but sadly we couldn't save them."

Beauty spot

Neither of the men could say how the father and daughter came to fall from the waterfall.

Mr Hordley said the weather was fine and sunny when the accident took place and the waterfall, a popular beauty spot, was busy with visitors.

North Wales Police say the deaths were being treated as a tragic accident, and in addition to the ongoing inquiry, the Health and Safety Executive had been informed.