Boy, 10, drowned in river despite his best friend jumping in to try and save him

A 10-year-old lad who couldn’t aquatics drowned successful a Reading stream past twelvemonth contempt his champion person jumping successful 10 times to effort and prevention him, an inquest heard.

Shadrack Appiah, 10, had been swimming with his friends successful the River Kennet adjacent Waterloo Meadows connected August 21^st, 2023, erstwhile helium became submerged by a waterway.

The lad was heard crying retired for assistance by his champion person conscionable aft 1.45pm, who dived into the stream 10 times to effort and prevention him.

A parent of 1 of Shadrack’s friends, who arrived soon after, besides jumped into the waterway doubly to effort and prevention the young boy.

Berkshire Fire and Rescue firefighters were called to the scene astatine 2.05pm and managed to find Shadrack successful the stream wrong 20 minutes, but helium died successful the infirmary astatine 3.25pm.

The inquest heard grounds from Shadrack’s swimming teacher, who revealed that helium was incapable to aquatics contempt having 10 lessons during his clip successful Year 5 astatine New Christ Church Primary School.

The boy’s household were ‘inconsolable,’ astatine the clip of his death, said Shadrack’s grand-uncle, Doctor Stephen Appiah.

He added that the household were shocked astatine the circumstances surrounding the young boy’s death.

Dr Appiah said: ‘Shadrack would ne'er spell into a pool.

‘The household tried everything. It conscionable frightened him. It particularly amazed the household that helium died successful water, the precise happening helium was truthful frightened of.’

The inquest heard determination were nary signs informing of heavy h2o astatine the portion of the stream that Shadrack drowned, the Reading Chronicle reported, contempt The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents antecedently recommending them.

Reading Borough Council person present installed informing signs pursuing the incidental past year.

Coroner Hannah Godfrey said she was ‘likely’ to find that Shadrack had died arsenic a effect of drowning successful an lawsuit of misadventure oregon accident.

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