The Afon Ogwen at Braichmelyn. Photo: Nigel Williams CC BY-SA 2.0

The Afon Ogwen at Braichmelyn. Photo: Nigel Williams CC BY-SA 2.0

The paddler who died after being swept down a north Wales river has been named.

Ian William Walsh, 54, from Preston, Lancashire, was with a companion on the Afon Ogwen near Bethesda on Saturday when both men’s kayaks capsized.

One man scrambled to safety near a caravan park at Braichmelyn, but Mr Walsh was pulled from the water near Penrhyn Castle, 6km (3¾miles) downstream.

A Sea King helicopter from RAF Valley airlifted the kayaker to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan but he died soon afterwards.

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