Families of two children who drowned slam RNLI over 'preventable' tragedy

The families of 2 children who drowned disconnected Bournemouth formation contiguous slammed the RNLI's effect to the tragedy which they claimed was 'preventable'.

Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, died successful a abrupt riptide arsenic the swam successful the oversea adjacent to Bournemouth Pier connected May 31 past year. Eleven others, including members of Sunnah's family, were pulled retired of the swirling oversea by RNLI formation lifeguards.

As their associated inquest got underway contiguous the parents of some victims raised concerns implicit the mode lifeguards connected the formation that time handled the emergency. They claimed determination weren't capable lifeguards connected work and those who were were 'panicked' teenagers who had to beryllium told that radical were drowning.

CCTV footage has antecedently shown that the riptide occurred astatine 3.46pm, yet it took different 7 minutes for the lifeguards to act. Sunnah's father, Asim Khan, said helium had to constituent retired to lifeguards that his girl was inactive missing aft they told him everyone was retired of the h2o 30 minutes afterwards.

They started 'panicking' and resumed their hunt lone for Sunnah's lifeless assemblage to lavation up connected the soil 15 minutes later. Stephanie Williams, Sunnah's mother, wanted to cognize wherefore the lifeguards did not announcement the radical of swimmers had drifted truthful acold distant from wherever they had entered the water.

Vanessa Abbes, Joe's mother, questioned whether determination were capable lifeguards connected work and whether the country should person been flagged arsenic a harmless portion astatine the time. She brought up an incidental successful the aforesaid determination successful 2021 erstwhile 17 radical had to beryllium rescued from a riptide.

Sunnah and Joe had gone to Bournemouth formation connected May 31 successful antithetic groups. They entered the oversea adjacent to the pier earlier the riptide occured.

The skiper of a pleasance vessel that had near the pier astatine the aforesaid clip was initially arrested by Dorset police for manslaughter lone to beryllium released without charge. Yesterday the Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin said she was satisfied determination was nary grounds to amusement the Dorset Belle vessel had thing to bash with the alteration successful oversea conditions that led to the tragedy.

The lifeguards astatine the RNLI presumption adjacent to the pier were alerted to radical struggling successful the h2o astatine 3.53pm and helped retrieve them. The archetypal 999 telephone to the South Western Ambulance Service was made astatine 4.06pm and the archetypal ambulance arrived astatine 4.13pm.

Joe, a trainee cook from Southampton, was recovered from the h2o astatine 4.18pm but contempt attempts to revive him helium was declared dormant astatine hospital. Sunnah, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was recovered astatine 4.46pm and airlifted to Poole Hospital but was pronounced dormant astatine 7.08pm.

Post-mortem examinations showed they some died from drowning. Sunnah's household contiguous raised concerns astir the RNLI effect to the incidental arsenic it took an hr to find her successful the sea. Mr Khan said: "I person a fig of concerns astir however the formation astatine Bournemouth is monitored.

"I recognize it is simply a large engaged formation and you can't support an oculus connected each idiosyncratic but radical had to archer the lifeguards that radical were drowning due to the fact that nary of them had noticed. I'm truly acrophobic arsenic to wherefore nary 1 was looking for Sunnah earlier I mentioned she was missing.

"I saw idiosyncratic being pulled retired of the oversea past 20 to 30 minutes aboriginal I went implicit to the lifeguards. Only past did they commencement looking for her. Rehana (Sunnah's aunt) and a kid some told maine they told the lifeguards Sunnah was inactive retired determination but they told maine nary 1 was looking for her.

"When I went implicit they (the lifeguards) were truthful definite that each the radical were retired of the h2o connected the beach. I judge that each the lifeguards determination that time were doing their best, nevertheless mostly they were precise young teenagers.

"They each seemed truly panicked and disquieted similar they didn't cognize what to do. I saw a idiosyncratic lavation up, I hoped it was and wasn't Sunnah astatine the aforesaid time.

He added: "I saw a question lavation up connected the formation by the zipline and I saw a idiosyncratic lavation up with it. I past saw everyone moving towards the person. I was trying to spell arsenic good but they wouldn't fto me.

"I asked the coastguard if it was my kid and helium didn't accidental anything, but I could archer from his look that it was. I could spot paramedics giving archetypal assistance connected the soil and past aft 15 minutes instrumentality the idiosyncratic connected a stretcher to the ambulance.

"As they got person I walked towards them and could spot it was Sunnah. They had tubes coming retired of her and she was lifeless. I went backmost to get the others and past made my mode to Poole Hospital.

"When we arrived the advisor took maine speech and told maine what was happening. She told maine it was not looking precise bully but they were trying their best. The advisor said I could beryllium by Sunnah and clasp her hand.

"After 35 to 40 minutes the doctors told maine determination was thing further they could do. They said she had drowned and they couldn't restart her heart. I held her manus and I retrieve that she was truthful cold. This is simply a beingness of symptom that can't beryllium filled."

Stephanie Williams, Sunnah's parent wept arsenic she said the 12-year-old miss "had a grin that lit up a room". She said: "We loved her dearly. We miss her and volition proceed to miss her for the remainder of our lives."

The household besides slammed BCP Council for not displaying 'life saving' signage informing of riptides and alternatively having signs up astir BBQs and dogs. A connection from Stephanie, work retired by her lawyer Dr Anton van Dellen, said: "How did the lifeguards not announcement that the radical successful the h2o had drifted truthful acold distant from wherever they had primitively entered.

"Why did it instrumentality 50 minutes to find Sunnah successful little than 5ft of water. What was the seniority of the lifeguards connected work that time arsenic from what I tin stitchery determination was a batch of panic from them and initially they weren't alert anyone was missing.

"I visited Bournemouth formation a fewer times aft the incidental and not a shred of accusation was displayed informing the nationalist astir riptides which could perchance prevention lives. There are signs for BBQs and dogs. Why does cipher deem it important to show perchance life-saving information.

"Sunnah's beingness was taken distant from her and it was avoidable. BCP Council request to instrumentality steps to marque the formation harmless successful the future. It makes maine aggravated that determination are truthful galore show points not being utilised for life-saving information."

Their criticisms were echoed by the Abbess household who questioned whether determination were capable lifeguards connected duty, and whether they had capable acquisition to woody with specified a 'large standard incident'.

They besides said determination should person been a information emblem strategy successful spot alerting of the dangers of the oversea conditions. Vanessa Abbess wept arsenic she said: "We question whether determination were capable lifeguards connected the formation initially to woody with an incidental of this standard and whether they had acquisition dealing with specified a ample standard incidental with truthful galore injuries.

"We question whether the country of oversea should person been a flagged arsenic a harmless portion oregon flagged arsenic unsafe aft an incidental successful 2021. Based connected historical incidents astatine this determination wherefore were determination harmless swimming flags successful an country of imaginable dangers.

"When we returned to the formation (at a aboriginal date) we noticed determination was nary caller signage oregon indications of the dangers of the sea. We consciousness that Joe and Sunnah's deaths and each the casualties could person been prevented if the emblem harmless swimming portion had been reestablished."

Mrs Abbess told the inquest her lad was a 'fit, beardown young man' who often went to the gym and she ne'er thought erstwhile she dropped him disconnected astatine a bid presumption connected the greeting of the calamity that she would ne'er spot him again.

She praised the exigency services who tried successful vain to prevention her 'generous, loving, caring and funny' son. She said: "I privation to convey the exigency services contiguous for their monolithic efforts to prevention Joe contempt the tragic outcome. He was a fantastic lad and member and person and we are each devastated by his death."

Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Basil Purdue gave some causes of decease arsenic drowning. The inquest, which is owed to past 2 weeks astatine Dorset Coroners Court successful Bournemouth, continues.