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The bodies of two 11-year-old twin brothers have been found in the River Ter in the Barcelona town of Manlleu after they were reported missing by their family.

 

The boys failed to return home on Monday evening, prompting their parents to alert the authorities. According to local reports, the brothers regularly played at a nearby football pitch and were expected back as usual, but never arrived home.

 

Police were notified of the disappearance during the early hours of Tuesday morning, triggering a major search operation involving officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra, Manlleu Local Police and specialist teams.

 

As daylight broke, investigators focused their efforts on the River Ter, which runs through the town. Officers from the Mossos' underwater unit searched sections of the river while drones were deployed to help cover a wider area.

 

During the search, police discovered clothing matching the description provided by the boys' family. Shortly afterwards, the first body was found in the river at around 1pm. A second body was recovered about an hour later further downstream.

 

Although formal identification procedures were still underway, investigators believe the bodies are those of the missing brothers.

 

Initial enquiries suggest the twins, who were from a Ghanaian family living in the area, may have entered the river after spending time playing football nearby. Reports indicate they were not strong swimmers and may have got into difficulty after entering the water.

 

At this stage, officers are treating the deaths as a tragic accident. However, the investigation remains open as police work to establish the boys' final movements and determine exactly what happened before they entered the water.

 

The deaths bring the number of drowning victims in Catalonia's inland waters to three since the bathing season began on Sunday June 15. During the same period, a further 11 people have lost their lives at beaches and six in swimming pools across the region.

 

Following the tragedy, Civil Protection officials renewed calls for extra caution around water, particularly during the summer months. They stressed that children should always be supervised by an adult and reminded the public to contact emergency services immediately if they see someone struggling in the water.

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Manlleu