A young man who managed to get out of a sinking car went back into the water to try to save his two friends.

Two men, 26-year-old Declan Davitt and 27-year-old Martin Needham went missing yesterday after the car that they and Tom McGreil (19) were travelling in was swept away in a river in County Mayo in the early hours of Christmas morning. They were taking a shortcut across a stretch of water on the Carrowniskey River that is usually passable at around 2.30am when the tragedy occurred. The bodies of the two men were recovered near Louisburgh yesterday evening. The youngest man, Tom McGreil, managed to escape from the vehicle but then reentered the water in an attempt to save his two friends, reports the Independent. The river was swollen after a spell of bad weather and the current proved too strong for Tom, who could not help the other two men. He left the water and raised the alarm. Post-mortem examinations are due to be carried out on the men's bodies today at Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar. Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ringside the local community would rally around the two families affected. "The community in Louisburgh shares the grief of the families and will support them in the difficult times ahead."