"I couldn't believe it": relatives, teachers and neighbors say goodbye to the eleven-year-old twins who died in Manlleu

ManlleuEight in the evening. Sepulchral silence in Plaça Fra Bernadí in Manlleu. In front of the town hall, an emotional atmosphere marked by consternation filled the space to overflowing. More than five hundred people gathered there as a sign of mourning for the death of the two eleven-year-old twin brothers who were found dead this Tuesday in the Ter river. Words of affection, hugs, and gestures of support marked the minute of silence, which concluded with an emotional applause for the minors.

Among the large crowd of attendees, numerous members of the Ghanaian community gathered in the square to accompany the victims' families. One was Philomina, who was accompanied by her daughter. "We have come to show all our support to the family in this difficult time," she explained. Dandan, who knew the parents of the two brothers, echoed this sentiment, stating that the news was "completely unexpected." "Yesterday I left work and when they told me I couldn't believe it," said the resident of the municipality, adding that "they were too young."

These words were repeated in various conversations around the square. A group of young people from the city explained that they knew them from seeing them around: "They went to the school where we had studied, Els Quatre Vents," they stated. In fact, members of the school's management and teaching staff, which this midday issued a statement on social media offering condolences to the families, also gathered in the square, dismayed by the news.

"It was also common to see them at the Puig-Agut sports ground," added another group of teenagers. The twins used to play football in the area near their home, which closes at nine in the evening, according to police sources told ARA. On Monday, seeing that they did not return at the usual time, the minors' parents reported them missing. Upon receiving the alert, around one in the morning, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) initiated a joint search operation with the local police of Manlleu to find the two brothers. Finally, their bodies were found on the riverbank between one and two in the afternoon this Tuesday.

Second accident involving minors

The Manlleu City Council then expressed its “deepest condolences” for the death of the young people, which was evident in a Fra Bernadí square marked by profound silence. In addition to the residents, the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler, and the territorial directors of the Interior, Education, and Social Rights departments, as well as mayors and councilors from the Osona region, also joined the event. In addition to the minute of silence this evening, the council also decreed two days of official mourning.

Regarding the causes of death, the Mossos opened an investigation pending autopsies, but for now, they are working with the hypothesis that the twins died accidentally by drowning. This is the second incident that has shocked Manlleu this year, after the death of five minors between 14 and 17 years old in February, in a fire in the storage rooms of a building on Montseny street.