What a horrific start to the first sunny half-term break of the year. Twelve-year-old Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess, 17, must have relished a trip to Bournemouth’s long, sandy beach and looked forward to a swim with friends.
It was not to be. They, along with eight other people, encountered difficulty when they swam close to the pier. Sunnah and Joe did not survive. An inquest has been told they died of drowning, having been caught up in a sudden riptide.
I can only imagine what their parents are going through. Who’d have thought that the sea in such a popular and busy holiday resort could be so dangerous?