An elderly man is believed to have been the victim of a drowning in an East Neuk reservoir on Friday evening.
The tragedy shocked the community surrounding Gillingshill reservoir, near the village of Arncoach.
The victim’s identity is not yet known, but he is believed to have been in his eighties.
A local couple told The Courier they wanted his family to know the emergency services did all they could to help him.
Fiona and Michael Audsley, whose home overlooks the beauty spot seven miles north of Anstruther, said the crews had been heroic in their efforts.
They said when the man’s body was taken from the water ambulance and fire crews spent nearly 30 minutes attempting to revive him.
He was then taken away in an ambulance on a stretcher while wearing an oxygen mask.
They added that whether or not he had survived, his family need to know that everything possible had been done to help him.
The drama unfolded shortly after 6.30pm when dog walkers found the man in the water at the idyllic nature reserve.
Police, ambulance and fire crews rushed to the scene.
Around an hour after the discovery, an ambulance was seen heading north, under blue lights.
A sign was erected recently warning the public about the danger posed by the reservoir.
The tragedy came in the same week as a new initiative was launched by Water Safety Scotland and the Scottish Government alerting schoolchildren to the danger of water.
