Luke Hyde’s mum Elizabeth has spoken out to condemn members of the public filming her son’s drowning who had to be pushed away by Gardai attending the scene in Cork, Ireland
A heartbroken mother has spoken out after her son drowned in a river while onlookers livestreamed the tragedy instead of helping him. Luke Hyde, 33, died after entering the water at the north channel of the River Lee in Pope’s Quay, in Cork, Ireland, with a friend on Wednesday evening.
The two started an attempt to swim up to Kyrl’s Quay at around 6.45pm, with the friend able to complete the journey despite the rising high tide. Mr Hyde, however, got into difficulty as he neared the quay wall, disappearing before the water, and emergency services were called to the scene. But they were forced to navigate a wall of gathered spectators.
The Irish Mirror reported that Gardai had to push people back after the Irish Coast Guard arrived, with dozens of people watching on, some of whom were live streaming. Mr Hyde’s mother Elizabeth has slammed members of the public who stood by instead of throwing her son a potentially lifesaving buoy.
Speaking to the Neil Predeville Show on Cork’s RedFM, Ms Hyde said the “whole family” has been upset by the lack of action, adding she didn’t think she could “come to terms with this”.
She said: “My reaction would be to try and save him, throw a lifebuoy instead of filming. The whole family is upset over it. Who are these people?
“I don’t know if I can come to terms with this, that my son was drowning and people were filming. I want to let those people know who are so fond of their phones that I hope they are listening to this broken-hearted family.”
Mr Hyde’s body was recovered from the water by divers using a sonar scanner not far from where he went under water, and he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
His brother Mark was among the first to pay tribute to the “gentle giant”, writing on social media that he was “absolutely and totally heartbroken” by his death, adding: “I’m still waiting for you to ring me and tell me snap out of it and that this is all a bad dream. You are and always will be my baby brother and I love you unconditionally with all my heart and soul brother.
“You were a gentle giant and didn’t have a bad bone in your body.” Ms Hyde said she hasn’t slept since she found out her son had passed away, calling her son the most “beautiful, mannered young fella that God put on this earth”.
His mum added Mr Hyde was just “sorting his life out” when tragedy struck, adding he was the “gentlest person going”. She said: “He was turning his life around and he started a job last week in Tesco Express on the Douglas Road.
“He told me he is sorting his life out, he has a job, he said he is going to make it. Everyone loved him, he was a polite mannerly boy, the gentlest person going.”
