Honeymoon drowning: Post-mortem exams due on bodies Lynette and John Rodgers

Post-mortem examinations are due to be carried out on the bodies of the newly-wed County Down couple who drowned while on honeymoon in South Africa.

Lynette and John Rodgers' families hope their bodies will be returned to Northern Ireland later this week.

The couple, from Holywood, were found on a beach at Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape on Friday.

It is believed they had gone for a swim shortly after arriving at the popular tourist resort.

Rescue workers said sea conditions were rough at the time, with strong rip-currents in the water.

Efforts were made to resuscitate the couple, who were both in their 20s, but they had died at the scene.

In a joint statement, their families said they were "thoroughly devastated" by their deaths.

Mr Rodger, who was 28, was originally from Ballygowan, County Down, and worked for a printing company in Holywood.

Mrs Rodgers, 26, was a physiotherapist.

Gordon Dunne, from the Democratic Union Party (DUP), knows her relatives and spent some time with both grieving families on Sunday.

He told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that they were "very deeply shocked and numbed by what has happened".

The families had celebrated the couple's wedding at First Holywood Presbyterian Church in Holywood on Saturday, 17 October.

"Lynnette had a happy day of celebration on Saturday and within a week it turned to tragedy," Mr Dunne said.

"I met both families yesterday and they are certainly very dignified as they continue to make arrangements for the bodies to be brought home.

"We all, within Holywood, are deeply shocked at what has happened. The town is mourning today and will do for a number of days," the DUP MLA added.

Mr Dunne said he believed the people of Holywood would "rally round" to show support for the bereaved.

"We were initially numbed by what happened - just couldn't understand, couldn't comprehend how a celebration could turn to tragedy so quickly."

"It's just heartbreaking and many people knew Lynette through school and her contacts through the community, and through her family contacts, and many, many people are very heartbroken today about what has happened."

North Down MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon, also visited both families on Sunday.

"I have to say, they are enormously dignified an courageous in the face of what has been a terrible tragedy for each of these families.

"We're looking at two young people, Lynette and John, who were married on a beautiful day, had a beautiful wedding - two lovely young people - just a week ago in Holywood.

"They set off on honeymoon, their whole lives are ahead of them and, within the week, devastation has struck.

"The lives of their families will never be the same again," she said.