Dad 'died as he jumped into river to save two other paddleboarders' who drowned

The Sun

AN ‘INCREDIBLE’ ex-soldier and dad died after he jumped into a river to save two other paddleboarders before all three tragically drowned, it’s been claimed.

Paul O’Dwyer, 42, was one of the victims after fierce downpours lashed River Cleddau in Pembrokeshire, in Wales on Saturday morning.

Two women were also pronounced dead at the scene, and another woman remains in a critical condition in the ICU of Withybush Hospital.

Another five people were rescued uninjured after a multi-agency search operation was launched, police confirmed yesterday.

The group of nine adults from South Wales had travelled to Haverfordwest for a paddle-boarding excursion.

One of the paddleboarders who was on the trip, Vickie Mckinven from Milford Haven, said Mr O’Dwyer had died attempting to rescue two fellow paddleboarders who had got into difficulty near the weir.

Ms Mckinven said: “Paul did lose his life attempting to save two of the girls also in distress due to an unexpected downpour.

“Absolutely heartbreaking, was all good friends and did so much to raise money for charities.”

TRAGEDY ON WELSH RIVER

Mr O’Dwyer was an ex-soldier and had served with The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers 108 Welsh Squadron militia.

After leaving the military he became one of the founders of charity SA1UTE, which supports veterans in the South Wales area.

Police were scrambled after reports of the group “in distress” in the water near the town centre just after 9am.

Tributes have since poured in for the ex-soldier from Port Talbot, who was named as of the three paddleboarders who died.

Mr O’Dwyer, a former Royal Engineer, described himself as a “dedicated daddy” and was a devoted charity fundraiser.