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Holywood

Couple who died in tragic honeymoon drowning laid to rest

The couple were buried at the church where they were married less than two weeks ago.

lynette and john rodgers CarolineSmythPhotograph CarolineSmythPhotograph

THE COUPLE FROM Northern Ireland who tragically drowned last month while on their honeymoon have been laid to rest.

John and Lynette Rodgers, from Co Down, were found dead on the beach at Plettenberg Bay in South Africa on 23 October.

The funeral of the couple has taken place today at the First Presbyterian Church in Holywood where they were married less than two weeks ago.

Lynette Rodgers, 26, had been a physiotherapist in Holywood, while her husband, John Rodgers, 28, had worked for a printing company in the area.

As part of funeral arrangements donations to the charity Help for Heroes or the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice were being accepted in lieu of flowers.

The bodies of the newlyweds were discovered by a local man in shallow surf and they are believed to have drowned.

CPR was performed on the pair by paramedics when they arrived at the scene but both were subsequently pronounced dead.

Following the incident the families of the couple said that they were “thoroughly devastated” by the deaths.

In a statement issued through the PSNI, their families said, “It has come as a great shock to both the Reilly and Rodgers families to learn of the sudden and tragic events in South Africa, which has taken the lives of Lynette and John.”

Read: ‘They brought us great joy’: Families devastated after Co Down couple die on their honeymoon

Also: 15-year-old arrested in relation to Talk Talk data theft released on bail

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