Investigators have ruled ouit the possibility of a boat being involved in the deaths of two children I the sea off Bournemouth beach last month. Sunnah Khan, 12 and 17-year-old Joseph Abbess died in an incident in Dorset which left eight other people injured.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council banned all boat operations pending the police investigation following the tragedy. Today, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has said it will not be launching a formal investigation into the deaths of the two youngsters, reports The Mirror.
Dorset Police had impounded the 78ft passenger vessel the Dorset Belle and arrested a man aged in his 40s who was 'on the water' at the time of suspicion of manslaughter.
A spokeswoman for the MAIB said: "Having conducted a thorough preliminary assessment of the circumstances of this tragic accident the MAIB has decided that no formal investigation will be launched.
"This was a truly tragic accident but our understanding of the circumstances is that it did not involve a vessel and therefore is not something the branch would investigate."
Island Cruises Ltd, the owners of the Dorset Belle, has already vowed never to return to Bournemouth following the tragedy.
A maritime safety expert has said there was no evidence the passenger boat was to blame for the deaths and that the most obvious explanation for what happened was a riptide, which are common at Bournemouth Pier due to its location.
Inquests into the deaths of Joe Abbess and Sunnah Khan heard that they drowned after a suggestion they were caught by a sudden riptide.
