An inquest into the deaths of two men whose vehicle went into a river in Louisburgh, Co Mayo on Christmas Day last year has returned a verdict of accidental death.
Declan Davitt and Martin Needham were in their 20s and were from the local area.
The inquest heard that weather conditions and excessive alcohol consumption were contributory factors.
The families of the two dead men attended the inquest along with the survivor of the incident, Tom McGreal. He was accompanied by his parents.
The inquest heard how the three friends had been socialising on Christmas Eve before the SUV they were travelling in went into the Carrownisky River in the early hours of Christmas morning.
They were attempting to cross a familiar stretch of the river, which was swollen by more than a metre and was fast flowing due to severe weather conditions.
The vehicle was submerged and swept downstream.
Mr McGreal, 19, managed to escape from the vehicle and raise the alarm.
The emergency services were called and the bodies of Mr Davitt and Mr Needham were later recovered and taken to Mayo University Hospital.
In his evidence, Mr McGreal said he had been socialising with Mr Davitt and Mr Needham around Louisburgh on Christmas Eve before they each bought a bottle of vodka at closing time.
They then headed back to the family home of another friend, Richard Gibbons.
Members of the Gibbons family noted the young men were already drunk and Mr Gibbons' mother, Mary Gibbons, wanted the vehicle to be left in the driveway.
A half bottle of vodka was drunk before Mr Davitt got into the vehicle and hit the wall twice before heading towards the river to make a crossing.
Mr Needham was in the front passenger seat and Mr McGreal was in the back.
Mr McGreal told how Mr Davitt drove into the river before he reversed and got the vehicle out again.
He then drove the SUV into the river once again and it was only when it started to fill with water that panic ensued.
Mr McGreal managed to escape and swim to the bank before racing back to the Gibbons' house. He was hysterical and shouting: "They’re gone. My two best friends are gone."
Coroner Pat O'Connor extended sympathies to the families and said the tragedy had devastated the entire community.
He urged young people to be aware of their mortality and to take extreme care when in control of vehicles.
