Schoolboy, 10, drowns after jumping in river despite horrified best pal diving in 10 TIMES to save him

A SCHOOLBOY drowned aft jumping into a stream arsenic his horrified champion person dived successful 10 times to effort and rescue him.

Shadrack Appiah, 10, ran up from a radical of friends earlier jumping into the River Kennett, adjacent Reading, successful August past year.

He could not aquatics and jumped into the water, which appeared shallow, unaware it was really 6ft heavy with heavy silt connected the stream bed.

Shadrack, who had lone had 10 swimming lessons successful the excavation astatine his school, was past tragically near screaming for his help.

A person jumped successful 10 times to effort and rescue him, but an lack of information instrumentality astir the stream near them incapable to retrieve him.

Firefighters rushed to the country 20 minutes aboriginal and Shadrack was rushed to hospital, but helium was pronounced dormant a abbreviated clip later.

An inquest heard Shadrack was "scared" of h2o and would "never participate a pool".

But helium entered the stream aft it appeared deceptively shallow, the tribunal was told.

A person jumped successful 10 times to effort and rescue him, portion the mum of different person besides entered the h2o doubly to effort and scope him.

Recording a verdict of misadventure connected the boy's death, Assistant Coroner for Berkshire Hannah Godfrey said: "It's the quality of children to bash unwise and unpredictable things."

The coroner said a hidden hazard of unexpected heavy h2o successful the river, which whitethorn person appeared shallower owed to a silt build-up, whitethorn person caused Shadrack to suffer his footing.

But however helium came to beryllium successful occupation remained unclear, she added.

Ms Godfrey said that, contempt a deficiency of information instrumentality astatine the riverbank, immoderate instrumentality would person been improbable to person aided rescue efforts.

The coroner said she would not urge a Prevention of Future Deaths report, but had concerns astir the deficiency of signage successful the area.

She is besides sceptical astir informing signs added since his death.

It comes arsenic signs person been erected astir Waterloo Meadows successful Reading showing deep-water successful the area.

A motion astatine the entranceway of the nationalist grounds has besides been amended with a representation to bespeak that swimming is prohibited.

Ms Godfrey said: "The decease of Shadrack appears to beryllium the trigger for the commencement of the Reading River Safety Partnership.

"There is the imaginable to prevention lives not conscionable successful this circumstantial area, but crossed the full borough.

"Something bully volition travel of this unspeakable nonaccomplishment suffered by the family."