Dad desperately tried to save son, 9, wife, 29, and best pal, 41, who drowned while paddling at Loch Lomond beauty spot
A DAD has spoken of his horror at watching his wife, son and best friend drown at a Loch Lomond beauty spot as he desperately tried to save them.
Waris Ali, 40, was left heartbroken after wife Edina Olahova, 29, nine-year-old son Rana Haris Ali and best pal Muhammad Asim Riaz, 41, died in the tragedy.
They had stopped to relax at Pulpit Rock near Ardlui as they drove home to Glasgow following a trip to Skye.
Waris' son had gone paddling in what seemed like a shallow spot in the water with Muhammad Asim Riaz's seven-year-old son.
But the lad – who is currently fighting for his life in hospital – suddenly plunged from a sandy ridge into a deep swell.
Waris told how his son, who couldn’t swim, dashed into the water to save his friend as the two families scrambled to rescue both boys.
Speaking from his garden in Parkhouse, Glasgow, Waris said: "The kids were playing and jumping around in the water.
"We were just thinking they were playing – that there wasn't deep water.
"At first it looked safe but when I put my first foot down it was deep water.
DAD'S HELL
"At first my friend's son went in and then my son entered the water to save him.
"I ran in and when I came out from the water I saw my wife's hand.
"I pulled off my shirt to see if she could grab it. I would have sacrificed myself but I couldn't swim, I didn't see, I couldn't do anything."
He added he was in such a state of shock he was unable to ring emergency services himself. A passing family stopped and called 999.
Rana said: "I couldn't properly talk. A Scottish family came to help. The emergency services took half an hour to come and the police too.
"It took three hours to bring out the bodies. Afterwards I had a pain in my chest and shoulder and was taken to hospital."
Paying tribute to his beloved wife and child, he said: "They were very good, caring and very nice.
"The two boys were very best friends – like family. My friend was like a brother to me and a very good person."
A total of six Scots tragically died in water tragedies over the weekend.
On Friday afternoon, Connor Markward, 16, passed away after getting into difficulty in the water at Loch Lomond.
On Saturday, schoolboy Dean Irvine, 11, died after falling into water in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire.
Around an hour later, the body of a 13-year-old schoolboy was pulled from water in Hazelbank, near Lanark, Lanarkshire.
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