Haverfordwest: Inquest opens into four paddleboarder deaths

An inquest into the deaths of four paddleboarders who died after an incident on a river in Haverfordwest has been opened.

Morgan Rogers, 24, from Cefin Coed, Merthyr Tydfil, Nicola Wheatley, 40, from Pontardulais, Swansea, and Paul O’Dwyer, 42, from Sandfields, Port Talbot, died in the incident on 30 October.

Andrea Powell, 41, from Bridgend, was taken from the scene to Withybush Hospital and sadly died a week later.

The four paddleboarders were part of a group of nine who were on a weekend trip away exploring the River Cleddau. The other five people were pulled out of the river by emergency services with no injuries.

Today (16 November), Pembrokeshire Coroner's Court in Llanelli heard the group got into distress at a weir in the centre of Haverfordwest.

The inquest was opened and adjourned to a later date pending the outcome of the police investigation into potential criminal offences.

A woman from the South Wales area was arrested on November 6 on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and has been released under investigation.

Post-mortem examinations have been carried out on the four who died but the results are yet to be published.

Acting senior coroner Paul Bennett said: "Can I extend my belated personal condolences to the families of the four individuals who sadly lost their lives in this case."