Boy drowns after jumping in river to save friend

A 13-year-old boy drowned after jumping into a fast-moving river in Glasgow to try to save a friend, police and relatives said. Police described Declan Shanley, from Summerston in Glasgow, as a "brave wee boy" who was swept away by the current after going into deep water in the river Kelvin when a friend got into difficulties. Declan had spent the day with a group of friends at a sandy area on the riverbank near the West of Scotland Science Park, known locally as "the beach", when a friend fell from shallow water into a deeper section at about 6.30pm on Saturday. "Declan and one of his friends jumped in to help, but Declan got into difficulty and was swept away by the strong current," said Chief Inspector Grahame Clarke. "Declan was a very brave wee boy who died trying to rescue his friend." Both the other boys were able to scramble to shore and raise the alarm. After a search involving a police helicopter and fire rescue crews, Declan was pulled from the water two hours later. He was pronounced dead at Glasgow's Western Infirmary. The other boys involved in the incident were extremely upset by what had happened, police said. Police said Declan's family were devastated and wished for privacy. On a tribute website, relatives described him as a "much loved son, brother, cousin, nephew, grandson and best friend to lots of people". The headteacher of the boy's school, John Paul Academy in Glasgow, said he was a "lovely boy". "I know everyone at the school will be shocked and saddened by this tragic news," Vincent Docherty said. "Declan was a lovely boy, popular and full of life, who will be very sadly missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are obviously very much with his family and friends at this time and we shall be supporting them in any way we can."