Falls father and daughter named

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A local councillor said people had been "close to tears" over what had happened

A father and daughter who died at a waterfall at the weekend have been named by North Wales Police.

James Scott Gallacher, 35, and Soraya Alicia Gallacher, three, from the Manchester area, drowned at the waterfall at Llanbedr near Harlech.

A joint investigation between police, Gwynedd council and the Health and Safety Executive is under way.

The owners of a campsite where the tragedy happened said there were signs warning visitors to stay on paths.

The father and daughter fell 50ft (15m) into a pool at the Nantcol waterfall on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the efforts of the emergency services and divers, their bodies were later recovered from the water.

They were staying at the nearby Shell Island campsite with members of their extended family.

Aled Morgan Jones, the owner of the Nantcol site, said the paths to the waterfall had been open to the public for almost 40 years. Until the weekend had never been an incident more serious than a broken ankle.

"At around four o'clock we were notified that someone had fallen in to the waterfalls," he said.

"We rushed over thinking it was possibly someone a bit wet. On seeing where they went in to the waterfalls it was obvious that it was pretty serious."

He said signs leading from the campsite to the waterfall were clearly marked with warnings people to stay on the footpaths.

"We do stress by notices that it is a dangerous area and that people should keep on the footpath at all times," said Mr Morgan Jones.

He said it appeared the father and daughter may have "veered" off one of those paths, before falling in to the water.

It was awful. I saw the panic. We all went down looking, and there was nothing there Andrew Partington, eyewitness

But he added: "I don't know what happened and I'm waiting for the police to report.

"It is horrible, shocking and very upsetting for everybody."

Eyewitness Andrew Partington, said he saw "frantic" efforts by family members to try to find the pair.

"I saw a woman and some blokes running around looking for the kid. They said they had fallen off the top of the cliff in to the water, and they couldn't find them.

"It was awful. I saw the panic. We all went down looking, and there was nothing there.

"It was proper sad. The mother was there, she wouldn't go. The family were there looking for them, they were frantic."

Tragic accident

North Wales Police said the alarm was initially raised at just after 1600 BST on Saturday.

Along with a response from the emergency services, two local divers helped in the search.

"All I could think about was the little girl and getting her back safely," said one, James Hordley.

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

The two bodies were finally recovered from the waterfall pool two hours later.

Police say the deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

An inquest has been opened and adjourned.

A spokeswoman for Trafford Council, the family's local authority, said: "Our sincere condolences and sympathy go to all their family and friends at this most tragic time in their lives."