The family of a teenager who tragically died in a drowning accident on Aberavon beach have said they want his life to be a 'beacon for change'. David Ejimofor, 15, tragically died after getting into trouble in the sea on Monday, June 19. There was a large emergency service presence on the beach but despite the best efforts of paramedics and the public David sadly lost his life.
His family have issued an emotional tribute to him through South Wales Police and launched a petition on change.org calling for action to be taken to prevent future tragedies. In the petition, they said that David had been "encouraged by friends to join them in jumping off the pier". They said it was a a "yearly coming of age ceremony" practiced after GCSEs and A-levels that the entire community is aware of".
They wrote: "If everyone including schools are aware of this practice, surely we would expect the Council to have better safeguarding measures in place especially at this time of year. David Ejimofor was not the first to suffer such a fate at the hands of this pier. We do not want David to be another statistic. We want his name to serve as an end of this unfortunate trail. It is for this reason that we seek change and reform by improving safeguarding measures at Aberavon Beach."
