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17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl died after getting into difficulty in the water off the Bournemouth coast on Wednesday afternoon.
A man in his 40s, who was “on the water” at the time, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the incident, which left a number of other swimmers needing medical treatment.
Here’s everything we know so far:
- Dorset Police was called by the ambulance service shortly after 4.30pm on Wednesday, requesting assistance on the beach near Bournemouth Pier, amid reports a number of people were “in trouble”
- Ten people were recovered from the water. A 17-year-old boy from Southampton, and a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire “sustained critical injuries”. They were pulled from the water and later died in hospital.
- A further eight people were treated by paramedics for “none-life-threatening” injuries
- A man in his 40s, who was “on the water” at the time of the incident, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of manslaughter. He remains in custody.
- The two youngsters who died had not jumped from the pier, been hit by a jet-ski, or had any “physical contact” with a boat, police confirmed at a press conference on Thursday following widespread speculation
- The children who died were not related to each other
- The popular beach was “very busy” when the incident occurred on Wednesday
- “A number of people already in the water got into difficulty”, police said at Thursday’s press conference, but none of the swimmers had contact with a boat or other vessel
- Members of the public leapt into action in a bid to help the people in difficulty, while emergency services launched a major, multi-agency response
- Lifeguards manning the beach have been praised for their “exceptional” response. A top doctor who happened to be on the beach and helped try to resuscitate the 12-year-old girl who later died wrote on LinkedIn: “Many of the lifeguards on the beach were teenagers themselves and despite their training would not have encountered such a scene, let alone having to resuscitate two children simultaneously whilst actively searching for others in a crowded sea. These young lifeguards did everything asked of them, they didn’t panic, there was no hysteria, they were exceptional and they followed instruction to the letter whilst taking their own initiative.” He also criticised people who allegedly stood by and filmed on their phones as he and others carried out CPR.
Air ambulances at the scene on Wednesday
/ PA- Dorset Police has named its investigation into what happened Operation Marble. It is working on the probe alongside the government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is working with the emergency services to assess safety in the water near the pier. Council leader Vikki Slade said: “There are specific rules relating to the buoys in the water but there is no evidence that any of these rules have been breached.”
- Police are urging people not to share video of the incident that is circulating online, and ask anyone with footage to share it with the force
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230083818.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.
