Man whose body was discovered in River Irwell named as cause of death update issued

A man whose body was recovered from the River Irwell near Manchester city centre can now be named as 22-year-old Ian James Kenny.

The grim discovery was made on Wednesday, July 3 after police received a call about a body in the water. There was a huge emergency service presence at the stretch of water near the Lowry Hotel, on the border of the city centre and Salford.

Police erected a cordon with the large section of footpath on the Salford side of the river taped off along with the Trinity Bridge which crosses from near Parsonage Gardens.

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Specialist fire crews launched a rescue boat onto the water and recovered a man's body. He was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. A police tent was erected on the riverbank as an investigation into the tragedy began.

The man was later identified as Mr Kenny. A spokesperson for Manchester West Coroners' Court in Bolton, where deaths in Salford are dealt with, confirmed a file had been received.

They said Mr Kenny's death was 'subject to investigation' and that they were 'awaiting a cause of death following a post-mortem examination.'

An array of tributes including flowers, balloons, and candles spelling out his initials 'IK' were left next to railings at the side of the river A number of people have paid tribute to him on social media.

One described him as 'such a nice guy.' Another said: "RIP mate honestly such a cruel world you had a beautiful heart thinking of all his family at such a sad time." Whilst a third said: "What a cruel world we live in. Heartbreaking."

Greater Manchester Police said at the time: ""Officers were called to a report of a body in the water at Dantzic Street