Two 11-year-old identical twin brothers have been found dead after disappearing while out playing football in north-eastern Spain. The boys’ father raised the alarm late on Monday evening after the brothers failed to return home for dinner as expected. The twins had left their home in Manlleu, Catalonia, to play football and were due back at around 9pm, but when they did not return, their family contacted police. A major search involving local officers and the Catalan police was launched before the children’s bodies were discovered in the River Ter on Tuesday afternoon. The first body was recovered at around 1pm, with the second found approximately an hour later. Police believe the brothers drowned, although post-mortem examinations will formally establish the cause of death. Investigators are working on the theory that the boys entered the river to cool off after their football game. Local reports suggest neither child was a confident swimmer. Police located the twins’ clothing on the riverbank before recovering the bodies from the water. Formal identification is expected to be completed through fingerprint analysis. Although officers currently believe the deaths were a tragic accident, enquiries remain ongoing to establish how the brothers travelled from the football pitch to the river, whether anyone else was with them and the circumstances in which they entered the water. The boys’ devastated parents are receiving psychological support following the tragedy. In response to the deaths, Manlleu Town Council declared two days of official mourning. In a statement, the council said: “We express our most sincere condolences for the tragic loss of two boys in the Ter River. “We wish to provide support to their family, friends and the affected community for this irreparable loss. “For that end, we place ourselves at the family’s disposition for everything they may need.” The deaths are the latest in a series of drownings across Catalonia, where authorities say 21 people have died in the water during the past month, including six children. Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the twins’ deaths remain ongoing.
