Two young boys aged five and three who were rescued when a canoe capsized in a Highland sea loch have died in hospital and a man is still missing.
Six people were in the boat when it overturned in Loch Gairloch on Sunday afternoon. A man and girl, 10, swam to shore and alerted the coastguard.
A search was launched and the two boys were found along with a girl aged five, who remains in a serious condition.
The search for the 34-year-old missing man is due to resume at 08:00.
A coastguard helicopter and lifeboats from Portree, Gairloch and Loch Ewe were involved in searches of the water close to the Big Sands caravan park.
Jamie Ralston of Stornoway Coastguard, who helped coordinate the rescue operation, told BBC Scotland weather conditions had been good at the time of the incident.
"Start Quote
End Quote Jackie O'Brien BBC ScotlandThis is a sea loch and it is tidal, and conditions on it can change at a moment's notice"
He added: "It was a nice, clear, sunny day with a little offshore breeze.
"The family were out in a Canadian canoe, six of them - two adults and four kids - and unfortunately it has capsized."
The coastguard believe the canoe capsized several hundred metres from the shoreline, between a small island and the beach.
It is understood two of the children were pulled from the water by lifeboat crews. The third was lifted by helicopter from the shore.
The boy were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and the girl to Broadford Hospital on Skye.
Northern Constabulary later confirmed the boys had both died.
The 36-year-old man and 10-year-old girl who swam to shore were uninjured.
Local fishing boats and onshore coastguard teams assisted with the rescue efforts on Sunday, and are due to rejoin the search operation on Monday.
'Very calm'Northern Constabulary said the group were in a Canadian canoe - a narrow boat designed to carry numerous passengers.
BBC Scotland reporter Jackie O'Brien, who is at the scene, told the Good Morning Scotland programme police were still trying to piece together exactly what had happened, although their priority was to look for the man who remains missing.
She said an eyewitness told her conditions on the loch had been "very calm" on Sunday, and many families who holiday there had been enjoying the warm conditions on the beach.
She added: "Obviously this is a very popular campsite known as the Big Sands, and there were a lot of people - locals and visitors - around yesterday.
"But this is a sea loch and it is tidal, and conditions on it can change at a moment's notice. Local people do warn of the under currents in these waters that can take leisure craft by surprise.
"So we understand that the six would have required to be wearing life jackets but there is no indication yet of exactly what happened".
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