Man dies after falling into burn following fundraising event

A night out ended in tragedy when a man died after being swept away in a fast-flowing burn.

The man was walking to a friend’s house in Kilchrenan, south of Oban, from a cheese and wine fund-raising event in the local village hall on Saturday night when he is believed to have fallen into the water.

His body was found in Kilchrenan burn in the early hours of yesterday morning after a search was launched by police, assisted by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed: “About 5:25am on Sunday the body of a 66-year-old man was discovered in a burn in the Kilchrenan area of Argyll, near Taynuilt.

“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding his death which at this time police are not treating as suspicious.”

Prayers were said for the man’s family at Kilchrenan Church of Scotland yesterday morning.

Church elder Marilyn Henderson said: “The whole community is shocked by this tragedy and our thoughts are with the man’s family at this sad time. I was at church and we were praying for his wife.”

Mrs Henderson added that the couple had travelled from their home in another part of Scotland to attend the cheese and wine evening and were planning to stay overnight with friends who live locally.

She said: “I understand that they were walking to the house when the man fell in. The burn is in full spate.”

The road was closed to traffic for several hours yesterday and Avich and Kilchrenan community councillor Chris Cowley said a forestry road had been opened up as a diversion route until the main road reopened in the afternoon.

A local witness said: They found the person quite quickly, I saw them getting the body out.”

Another water tragedy hit the area last year when 18-year-old Amy Simpson died after a vehicle she was driving plunged into the River Avich.