Beach deaths sparked changes to rescues - inquest

Twelve-year-old Sunnah Khan and 17-year-old Joe Abbess both drowned off Bournemouth beach

Changes have been made to search and rescue procedures following the deaths of two children in the sea off Bournemouth Beach, an inquest has heard.

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

HM Coastguard aeronautical and maritime operations manager Sam Sheppard said a review had since made 14 recommendations over communication and managing major emergency incidents.

He told the inquest at Dorset Coroner's Court in Bournemouth that none of the findings were over issues that could have caused or contributed to the two deaths.

A previous hearing was told a rip current led to the deaths of the two youngsters, with eight other people needing treatment from paramedics.

Giving evidence, Mr Sheppard gave a timeline of how events unfolded with the coastguard coordinating the actions of ambulance, lifeguards and police.

Two coastal rescue teams were dispatched, along with two lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter.

He said a139-page "detailed incident review" had examined issues as part of a "learning process" and was "not apportioning blame".

It highlighted information was not passed from South West Ambulance Service to the coastguard in the appropriate format that would avoid "miscommunication and misunderstanding" in declaring a major incident, he said.

Mr Sheppard said the recommendations of the review should not be seen as "failures".

"None of these impacted the actions and responses of HM Coastguard," he told the hearing.

Air ambulances landed on Bournemouth beach following the incident

He said there had been "internal confusion about declaring a major incident" but insisted "it didn't change our response in any shape or form".

He also said the search and rescue operation had been restarted after both Joe and Sunnah had been found, due to "further confusion" in communication between emergency services.

Mr Sheppard told the inquest there had been debriefing sessions held within the coastguard, as well as "collaborative learning" sessions with police, ambulance and lifeguards.

The review also noted there had been an "unprofessional conversation" between the coastguard and the RAF.

The individual involved admitted an "error of judgement" during a debrief, Mr Sheppard told the inquest.

He said coastguard personnel operate "under extreme pressure" during such fast-moving situations.

"With the speed of information coming in, it can very quickly become chaotic," he said.

'Robust response'

The inquest also heard evidence from Anthony Rogers, head of seafront services at BCP Council.

When asked about safety for swimmers and beach users, Mr Rogers said the council had followed the RNLI's risk assessments and recommendations when it was formed in 2019 following the merger of three local authorities.

He said the council had "reviewed and heightened" its messaging to the public over water safety following the May 2023 incident.

He told the inquest that although there were 8-9ft tall RNLI information signs on the area's beaches, there was no reference on them to potentially strong currents.

He said new signs would all be in place along the 15-mile stretch of beach the council is responsible for by November.

He said a review of public rescue equipment (PRE) was completed in spring 2024, while trauma kits and grab bags had also been made available for council staff to help deal with a major incident.

Mr Rogers told the inquest the response to the incident had been "robust".

"We've reviewed every operation, system and partnership that has a bearing on water safety," he told the hearing.

He said the council's financial contribution to the RNLI lifeguard service had been increased by 20% for 2023/24 despite what he described as "significant financial pressure".

The inquest continues.