Family’s grief for man killed on his honeymoon
Victim drowned swimming next to new wife
A MAN who drowned on honeymoon in the Maldives was swimming just feet from his new wife when tragedy struck.
Andrew Roddy, who turned 30 last week, died after getting into difficulty in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
The insurance worker had been enjoying a luxury holiday on the islands with Gill Campion after they married a fortnight ago.
Andrew, from Killester, North Dublin, had been due to return home on Monday and is understood to have been a strong swimmer.
His mother Marion revealed the death of her only child was still a mystery.
She said: “I was talking to Gill. She said they were out swimming and looking at dolphins or something. She said, ‘I turned around and Andrew was gone’.
“She didn’t know how it happened because they were near each other at the time.
“He met Gill through work [New Ireland Assurance], and they were great together.” Local parish priest Fr Liam O Cuiv added: “I visited Andrew’s mother last night and she is absolutely heartbroken.
“Andrew was an only child and he was his mother’s pride and joy. The community is in complete shock.
“You try to find the right words to say at a time like this, but you’re left scratching your head – there aren’t any words that are adequate. It’s just a terrible tragedy.”
There is no Irish embassy in the Maldives but officials at the embassy in New Delhi, India, are working with the authorities in the Maldivian capital of Male since the death. The Maldives is made up of almost 1,000 coral islands scattered across hundreds of kilometres.
More than 100 are inhabited and the area is hugely popular with tourists.
The destination has become a favourite of Irish holidaymakers in recent years and is particularly popular with young couples and honeymooners.
A number of Irish-based tour operators run packages to the Indian Ocean islands.