Bournemouth beach tragedy: Tributes paid as 17-year-old boy who died named by police
T
he 17-year-old boy who died after getting into difficulty in the sea[1] off Bournemouth[2] has been named as trainee chef Joe Abbess.
The teenager[3] from Southampton[4] died on Wednesday May 31 and his family said they were “heartbroken and devastated”.
They said: “He was a wonderful son and brother who is sadly missed.“His family and friends will always love him and we are incredibly proud of the fabulous young man he was. He was kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny.
“Joe was a talented trainee chef, with a bright future ahead of him. We were privileged to have him in our lives for 17 years and we are so sorry he will never fulfil his dreams and ambitions.“
“He was enjoying a day at the beach on Wednesday and we would like to thank his friends and all of the emergency services who helped him, when this tragedy unfolded.”
A police officer on patrol at Bournemouth Beach
/ PA
Earlier in the day, hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the 12-year-old girl who died in the same incident.
More than 200 people are reported to have attended the funeral for Sunnah Khan at High Wycombe Mosque in her home town in Buckinghamshire.
Inspections and searches are continuing of the sightseeing boat at the centre of the investigation into the death of two youngsters.
The Dorset Belle has been impounded by Dorset Police after the incident on Wednesday where another eight people were treated by paramedics.
A man in his 40s who was “on the water” at the time was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released under investigation on Thursday while inquiries continue.
The Dorset Belle
/ PA
On Friday the 49-year-old sea-going passenger boat Dorset Belle remained at anchor at Cobb’s Quay, Poole Harbour, guarded by a police van with officials on board.
According to the website Marine Traffic, the vessel visited Bournemouth Pier, the scene of the incident, at 4pm, minutes before the first 999 calls were made and returned again afterwards.
Dorset Police said no physical contact was made between the swimmers and any vessel or jet-ski and those involved had not been jumping off the pier.
They have declined to comment on any investigation into the Dorset Belle and refused to say what or if any vessel was involved
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, told the PA news agency he believed they should provide more information to avoid “wild speculation”.
He said: “There needs to be a review, the police are conducting their investigation, there needs to be a review of the circumstances to see whether any safety measures and protocols need to be upgraded to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.
“I encourage Dorset Police to clarify the general circumstances of this tragic accident to avoid further wild speculation and uncertainty for parents who may be cautious about going to any part of the beach, unclear of exactly what happened in this terrible incident.”
The vessel’s website states that it was purpose-built as a passenger boat to operate locally and could “cope with the occasional challenging swell conditions encountered at local piers”.
Eyewitnesses have suggested that the swimmers had got caught up in a dangerous riptide leading to the fatal incident.
Dorset Police has said they are working with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to investigate the incident.
References
- ^ sea (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Bournemouth (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ teenager (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Southampton (www.standard.co.uk)