British six-year-old drowns in Portugal
Six-year-old Northern Irish boy drowns while on holiday in Portugal
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Friday, 25, Jul 2008 06:35
A six-year-old boy from Northern Ireland has drowned while on holiday in Portugal.
Nathan Sharkey from Claudy in County Londonderry was holidaying with his parents on the Algarve when he drowned on Thursday.
No further information on the tragic death has yet been released but it is understood the Foreign Office is providing assistance to the bereaved family.
Brenda Stevenson, a member of staff at Nathan's school Foyle View Special School, was quoted by the Press Association as saying the six-year-old was a "bright, bubbly and lovely boy".
Ms Stevenson added: "His death will be a huge loss to his family and the community. He was a lovely little boy.
"It is terrible this has happened, especially when the family was on holiday and were supposed to be relaxing. They went away as a family unit and now their lives have been thrown into disarray.
"I have no doubt that the entire community in Claudy will lend the family their full support at this very sad and difficult time."
It is the second occasion on which a Northern Irish youngster has died while holidaying in Iberia this month, after 16-year-old Padraig Burns fell to his death on a balcony in Benidorm, Spain, on July 19th.
Father Peter Carlin, Padraig's parish priest, said the Burns family had been devastated by the death.
"This is a family that is strong in faith, so they draw on their faith, they draw on their own values to support each other," he told the Independent newspaper.
"They have met a situation beyond anyone's limit to comfort and they have reached something deep within themselves."