Quicker action 'may not have saved' drowned pair

Sunnah Khan, a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire, and 17-year-old Joe Abbess from Southampton both drowned off Bournemouth beach

Two children who drowned in the sea off Bournemouth beach may not have been saved even if lifeguards had acted sooner, a coroner has said.

Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, both died after getting into trouble in the water on 31 May 2023.

A pre-inquest review into their deaths was told there was insufficient evidence to establish exactly when they died.

Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin said it was impossible to say whether the RNLI could have acted more quickly.

A previous hearing was told there was a "suggestion" a rip tide had led to the drownings.

It was heard on Wednesday that CCTV showed a group of people struggling in the water close to the resort's pier at 15:46 BST.

Joe was pulled from the sea at 16:18 but Sunnah was not found until 16:45.

Nine other people were rescued, eight of whom were treated by paramedics on the beach.

Bournemouth beach was cleared as emergency services attended the incident

Mrs Griffin said she understood concerns of Sunnah's family about the time it took to recover her body.

However, she said the fact that Sunnah's brother and aunt were also unable to locate her, despite being in the water with her, showed the challenges faced by emergency services.

The coroner described it as a "sudden and quickly evolving incident" adding that lifeguards responded "quickly and in a timely manner" and that the actions of the emergency services saved many lives.

A previous pre-inquest hearing was told a pleasure cruiser, the Dorset Belle, was cleared of any involvement by Dorset Police.

At Wednesday's hearing, the court was told that wash from the boat may have been a contributory factor in the location of the rip current.

A full inquest, listed for three weeks, is due to begin on 23 September.