British mother swept to her death

A British mother has been swept to her death after saving her three young children from a raging river in South America.

Bridget Riedl-Laing, 26, from Edinburgh, was on an adventure holiday in Peru with her family when their inflatable canoe capsized, tossing the screaming youngsters into the water.

Her husband Rupert watched in horror from the bank of the swollen river Vilcanota as the tragedy unfolded but was powerless to save her.

Passersby apparently heard his cries for help but because of the language barrier, the locals were unable to understand.

Mrs Riedl-Laing thought nothing of her own safety as she battled against strong currents to ferry Tannick, four, Fabio, two, and one-year-old Olivia to the bank.

But the effort drained away all her strength and the Scottish-born artist was too exhausted to haul herself from the swilling waters. She was swept away.

The tragedy happened on Wednesday during an epic trip in which Mrs Riedl-Laing and her husband, an Austrian sports instructor, were driving the length of the Americas from Canada to Chile with the three children.

The search was continuing today, however Peruvian authorities said there was virtually no chance she had survived.

Police spokesman Luis Ladron de Guevara said there were only three lifejackets in the tiny boat and Mrs Riedl-Laing had put them on her children. The move undoubtedly saved their lives at the expense of her own.

Her devastated brother, Julian Laing, said at his home in Edinburgh: "We cannot take this in at the moment."

Close friend Fiona Stephenson, an English teacher living in Strasbourg, added: "This seems like a horrible joke. I cannot believe she has gone."

The family left their home in Austria last summer for their marathon 6,000-mile trek. They charted their progress on a website where family and friends followed their adventures. The poignant final chapter was headed: "Peru on a Shoestring - No Transport, No Money."

After frequent problems with their VW camper van breaking down, the family finally headed to the famous Sacred Valley of the Incas in the south-eastern part of the country.

According to local people, the stretch of river they were on, near the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, is popular with tourists, who often sign up for organised river-rafting expeditions. It is usually reasonably calm, but in the rainy season, which has just ended, the Vilcanota swells and the currents can become fierce.

For the first part of their trip, the river was calm, but at about 1pm, four miles downstream, the canoe carrying Mrs Riedl-Laing and the children suddenly turned over. Rupert, who had been following the pink and blue canoe by road, frantically called for help as his wife fought to save the children.

He ran to the riverbank where he found the three youngsters terrified but safe. Yannick told him that he had last seen his mother hanging from a rock. But there was no longer any trace of her.

Emergency workers and locals mounted an immediate search of the area and managed to salvage the canoe, rucksacks and oars. But Mrs Riedl-Laing was still missing early today.

One local official said: "They are combing the whole area from Pinipampa, about 25 miles north of Cusco, to the town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley. I understand the woman's husband and children are still there waiting to see if the search produces any results."

The family had explored Canada and the rainforests of Belize and had received hundreds of emails from people around the world who were following their trip. Wellwishers spoke of how much they had admired the young family's courage.