The two youngsters who died in the Bournemouth beach tragedy drowned, an opening inquest has heard.
Sunnah Khan, 12, described by a family friend as an “angel” and Joe Abbess, 17, died last week after getting into difficulty in the sea off the pier.
Earlier, Sunnah’s mother Stephanie Williams said she was still in the dark about what happened during the incident and had not been given any information beyond what Dorset Police said at a news conference following the deaths.
“It’s just really difficult to accept,” she told The Sun. “Somebody has potentially caused Sunnah to be taken away from us. Ms Williams added the cause of her daughter’s death was “drowning” but there were “no other injuries”.
Dorset Police initially said the deceased has sustained “critical injuries”. Joe, from Southampton, was identified as the other victim.
His family said they were “heartbroken and devastated” at the loss of a “fabulous young man” and “talented trainee chef” who was enjoying a day at Bournemouth beach when he died on Wednesday.
A 40-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the incident has been released under investigation.
