Double tragedy as boy dies making an attempt to save lots of good friend after enjoying on river rope swing

David Ionut Radut, 14, and Aras Rudzianskas, 13, had been on a rope swing near the River Tyne in Ovingham, Northumberland, when tragedy struck and they both lost their lives

View 4 Images

A teenager attempted to rescue his friend when he found himself in trouble in a river, resulting in both of them losing their lives, an inquest has heard. David Ionut Radut, 14, and Aras Rudzianskas, 13, were playing on a rope swing near the River Tyne in Ovingham, Northumberland when tragedy struck.

The inquest into their deaths heard how David, who was unable to swim, released the swing too soon and landed in a deeper section of the river. He struggled in the water, cried out for assistance and Aras dashed into the water in an attempt to save him.

Northumberland Coroner’s Court was told how David, in his panic, pushed Aras under the water and they both floundered. Another youngster, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, tried to assist David by grabbing his arms.

However, they had to release him as they felt themselves getting into trouble in the water and swam back to the river bank. Assistant Coroner Paul Dunn stated that something caught their leg and they were uncertain if it was the current or David.

David submerged beneath the water and was not seen again, while Aras, face down in the water with his arms outstretched, was swept away by the current. Fiona Matthews, who was paddleboarding on the river, discovered Aras face down in the water, reports Chronicle Live.

The coroner’s court, located at County Hall in Morpeth, heard how Fiona encountered what appeared to be a pale rock, only to realise it was Aras’ back. She turned him over, hoisted him onto her paddleboard and commenced chest compressions.

She said: “I pulled him under the arms and used his shorts to try and get him out of the water. I think the adrenaline kicked in.”

Fiona told the hearing how she attempted to carry on delivering chest compressions while paddling towards the riverbank. She said: “I had lost my paddle by then so I was using my hands to paddle.”

Fiona explained she had chosen to kneel rather than stand up on her paddleboard that day because the water wasn’t as calm as it had been previously. She managed to bring Aras nearer to the riverbank where paramedics took control in the water.

Medics succeeded in restoring Aras’ heartbeat but he couldn’t breathe independently. He was transported to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle by air ambulance where he passed away three days afterwards.

Officers from the marine unit carried on searching the river for David. His body was discovered on the riverbed at 6.30pm that evening and he was transported by ambulance to the RVI.

Detective Sergeant Danielle Grant, of Northumbria Police, arranged for the tree branch, which held the swing, to be removed the following morning. She informed the court: “I was informed an unknown person has gone down and cut down the entire tree.”

The court was told how David and Aras, who both resided in Newcastle, were amongst a group of approximately 20 youngsters who journeyed to Ovingham from the city on May 18, 2024. They had been at the river for less than half an hour when the tragedy occurred.

The duo were the first to take their turn on the swing, which was fixed to a tree branch, launching themselves out across the river and back. DS Grant said: “Nobody else had got around to having a try because it happened so quickly.”

When they found themselves in trouble in the water, some of the youngsters flagged down a bus for assistance. Northumbria Police received three telephone calls regarding the incident in rapid succession.

Ben Corlett, who was in the vicinity at the time, told the inquest: “There was a lot of panic, a lot of hysteria, crying and shouting. I didn’t realise what happened at first. When I saw them run out in front of the bus I thought maybe one of them had been hit.”

The initial call to police, at 3.29pm, reported that two friends had leapt into Ovingham river and were dead. No additional information could be gathered as the caller was so distressed.

Two minutes afterwards, a passenger on the bus which had been stopped by children, reported that someone had drowned. At 3.35pm, a third caller said that two males had drowned.

They explained one male had been struggling in the water, prompting another to assist, before they had been dragged under.

David’s family questioned why they weren’t informed about the incident until 6.50pm. PC Grant explained to them that police initially couldn’t identify which male was which as the descriptions provided were similar and they had no possessions with them.

Coroner Dunn explained to the hearing how he was handling the inquests as he had previously served as the coroner during the inquest of Robert Hattersley, 13, who also drowned in the River Tyne near Ovingham in 2022.

He told the court: “I dealt with the inquest of Robert Hattersley, another young man killed in different circumstances in the same piece of river. I remember sitting with his family and very much hoping I wouldn’t have to have another family, families, in front of me again and here are unfortunately with a similar set of circumstances.”

The inquest continues.