A young swimmer has died after he was dragged underwater by strong currents at a Perthshire waterfall.
The 19-year-old holiday-maker was with a group of friends at the Falls of Bruar, near Blair Atholl, when he got into difficulties on Wednesday evening.
The group had been swimming in the gorge for about an hour when tragedy struck.
A friend said that the water current suddenly got stronger and the swimmer disappeared underwater.
The seven friends, who made it out of the gorge, formed a human chain to try to rescue their pal, but they were unable to hold on to him.
They also tried throwing him a rope, but the strong current pulled him further under.
It is understood the teenager is from the London borough of Newham and was on holiday at the time.
He is said to have helped rescue one of his friends before he went missing. The man he saved was said to be safe, but badly shaken.
The missing swimmer’s family have been informed, police said.
The accident happened just weeks after warnings about the sudden release of water from a hydro scheme near the beauty spot.
SSE operates a scour gate above the falls, which has – according to canyoninig enthusiasts – previously released a dangerous “tsunami” of water into the drop.
However the company assured that it had not adjusted the gate for some time.
Emergency services, including an air ambulance and search and rescue helicopter, were scrambled to the scene at about 5.40pm on Wednesday.
However, an initial search drew a blank and was stood down by nightfall.
A team of police divers, based in Aberdeen, resumed the hunt at about 11am on Thursday.
A force spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that the body of a 19-year-old man has been recovered from the Falls of Bruar, near Pitlochry.
“Next of kin have been made aware and no further details will be released until formal identification has taken place.”
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said: “I am saddened to hear that a body has been found after an extensive search and rescue operation at the Falls of Bruar.
“My thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased and I would like to pay tribute to all of those involved in the search operation.”
Tourists and dog walkers were turned away from the falls area by staff from nearby House of Bruar on Thursday morning.
The area, immortalised in a Robert Burns poem, is a popular walking route and attracts visitors from around the world.
