Five-year-old boy risked life as he tried in vain to pull twin brother from freezing river that killed him

Kayden Fleck was playing with twin Jayden when he fell into the River Braid in Ballymena and was washed miles downstream

A twin, just five years old, risked his life as he desperately tried to pull his brother from the freezing water of a river after he fell in while they were playing.

The heartbroken parents of Kayden Fleck have opened up about the "nightmare" they are living since the death of their son.

Kayden fell into the River Braid in Ballymena at around 1pm on Saturday, February 10, and was swept miles downstream, reports BelfastLive .

He was plucked from the water and flown by air ambulance to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children where he died later that day.

The tragedy happened just two weeks after his parents had wed.

The Harryville Primary School had been playing with his twin brother Jayden in the back yard when he vanished from dad Darrel Fleck's sight.

Darrel told the BBC: "We didn't think that was going to be the last time that we were going to see the two boys as the two musketeers."

He said he turned his back and they were away within seconds and within minutes the family were looking for them.

Mrs Fleck said: "I thought that the boys were in the park, I ran to the park but they were not there so I automatically started searching but when Jayden then cried for help over at the Ecos Centre, that's when I knew something terrible had happened."

Jayden was found running from the river, which is around half a mile from the family's former home, his clothes soaked.

The couple said he has since told his parents he tried to help his twin brother out of the water, but could not reach him.

A huge search and rescue operation was launched and Kayden had been swept four miles along the river from the point where he entered the water.

Mrs Fleck said: "Jayden has just told us that Kayden wanted to go to the park, he wanted to see the ducks, so he is saying they went to the ducks and were in the park and were playing. Kayden wanted to go home but wanted to take a path he thought would take him home.

"We can't understand how they got so far.

"Other than that he's been very quiet, he's playing but he's just lost."

Mr and Mrs Fleck have appealed for anyone who saw the two boys to come forward.

"We need answers," she said. "We cannot put the pieces of this puzzle together.

"I just want to know if anyone saw them, what were they doing? Were they with anyone? What directions did they take?

"We just need to know what happened, and how it happened."

The River Braid in Ballymena

Paying tribute to her son, who had been born with a congenital heart defect and chronic lung disease, Mrs Fleck said he was her "ray of sunshine".

"It's been a nightmare, it's been terrible," she said.