Two men who died after SUV swept away in river on Christmas Day named

Two men who died when their SUV was swept away in a river on Christmas Day after a night out with friends have been named.

Childhood friends Declan Davitt, 26, and Martin Needham, 27, were in the 4x4 when it entered the Carrowniskey River in County Mayo in the early hours of the morning.

A 19-year-old who was also in the vehicle at the time and managed to escape to raise the alarm at about 3am was the only one to survive.

Irish police said the two dead men were found after a large-scale search operation involving divers and the coastguard.

The pair had been friends for years and worked for a period in New Zealand, it has emerged.

They were both single but were from large families who are well-known in the area, a relative said.

A family member said they were heartbroken and friends said they felt numbed by the tragedy.

Mr Davitt's relation Peter Sweeney said: "The boys were inseparable."

The Louisburgh Macra Na Feirme, a rural youth organisation, said it was an "unbelievably numbing day... as we learned that these two fine men tragically were lost in an accident last night."

It is believed the incident took place as the men were returning to their homes in the area and crossing a stretch of water that had become swollen due to bad weather.

The tragedy is now the subject of a police investigation.

Post-mortem examinations took place on Tuesday and the two men's funerals will be held later this week.

Mayo county councillor Christy Hyland said the local community was in shock and that the men were from well-known and respected families.

He said: "Our thoughts go out to their loved ones, their families and friends.

"The whole community is in shock. This is a terrible tragedy to happen at any time, but especially on Christmas morning."