The survivor of a canoe capsize tragedy that killed four
people said he “believed the children were wearing lifejackets”.

“I didn’t realise they were only wearing buoyancy aids which
don’t keep your head out of water if you lose consciousness,” Garry Mackay
said.

Mackay’s youngest daughter died in the accident last month,
which also killed his best friend and two sons. His eight-year-old daughter
Callie was the only other survivor.

“I thought, we will hold onto the boat and someone will
rescue us,” Mackay said. “However, the boat sank, leaving the six stranded.”

Mackay added: “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to
make but I knew if I stayed I would drown too, and the kids would never be
found.”

The tragedy has strengthened calls from volunteer group
LochWatch Loch Awe to make wearing lifejackets compulsory.

Argyll and Bute Nationalist MSP Michael Russell is
supporting the move. He said: “You wouldn’t get in a car without wearing a
seatbelt, so why would you get in a boat without a lifejacket?”

What do you think of Russell’s comments? Tell us now on the
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Read more about this story:
Three children dead in canoe capsize tragedy