Family call for action after boy, 13, drowns in river

Kane Edwards, 13, died while swimming in the River Tawe near Swansea Enterprise Park in May 2022

The family of a boy who drowned in a river have raised concerns over children swimming in the same area.

Kane Edwards was 13 when he went swimming in the River Tawe in Swansea with a friend in May 2022.

His foot became caught in a submerged tree and he spent more than an hour underwater before emergency services found him.

Speaking after the inquest into Kane's death, his family expressed concern that the nearest lifebuoy to the site where he died is a 20-minute walk away.

Swansea council told the inquest a number of signs had been placed in the area, but it will reconsider a lifebuoy.

After a two-day inquest in Swansea, coroner Edward Ramsay concluded Kane's death was accidental.

He said he drowned "as a consequence of becoming trapped by underwater debris in fast-flowing water".

Mr Ramsay said he was "absolutely satisfied" that while there "may have been some delays" in the emergency services attending, they had no "causative impact" on Kane's death.

He added "Kane tragically probably drowned at the moment he was last seen by his friend".

Emergency services were initially given the wrong location where the boys were swimming

Mr Ramsay said when Kane went swimming, he was "absolutely not aware of the hazards beneath".

The coroner said he wanted to receive further information from the Welsh Ambulance Service before deciding whether or not to issue a prevention of future deaths report.

Members of Kane's family have called for a lifebuoy to be placed at the site where he died just outside Swansea Enterprise Park.

Speaking after the inquest, his uncle Gethin Edwards said that given the spot was "a known swimming area for children, at the minimum there should be a lifebuoy present there".

"The nearest lifebuoy is about 20 minutes walk from where this happened.

"Just last night there were five or six children swimming in the river in this area," he said.

"It's a well-known swimming spot in Morriston, so Kane was not going to be the first or last person to be swimming there," he added.

Swansea council told the inquest a number of signs had been placed in the area, but it will reconsider a lifebuoy.

Kane's family told the inquest they accepted he had died in a "tragic accident".

They thanked members of the emergency services who tried to help him and said they were comforted that local services had made changes where needed.

Signs have been placed in the area to warn people of the dangers of swimming where Kane drowned

On Monday the court heard Kane's post-mortem examination confirmed he had died from drowning after going into freezing water at a river with rock weirs and deep pools, where he became trapped by the current.

During the hearing, Welsh Ambulance Service call handler Hannah Stanley said locating the incident was difficult as the what3words app - an app which pinpoints your exact position with three unique words - failed, though her call handling met required standards.

Coroner Edward Ramsay also questioned the service manager of the Welsh Ambulance Service Andrew Garner and asked if "valuable time had been lost" in establishing the location of the incident.

Mr Garner said the ambulance service discussed the incident but found no full report needed.

Kane and his friend were swimming in the river in the Morriston area of Swansea

On Tuesday, Mr Garner told Kane's family call handler training had been improved so automatic location systems were now used first before asking callers for more detail.

The court heard neither Kane's friend who was swimming with him nor the police could initially provide a precise location, until the boy suggested a suitable spot for emergency services to park on the correct side of the River Tawe.

Mr Garner said crews were dispatched to a nearby point, with the location "updated en route" as more accurate information came in.

Kane's uncle Gethin Edwards said the family now had some closure after what was a tragic accident

The inquest also heard from Swansea Council's water safety manager Andrew Suter, who said there had been no previous incidents at the site before Kane's death.

Since then the area has been risk assessed, with warning signs put up along the river, a lifebuoy placed at a fishing platform upstream, and plans to plant hawthorn bushes near the weirs to deter swimmers.

Lee Brooks, executive director of operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said he extended his deepest sympathies to Kane's family on behalf of the service.

In a statement after the inquest, Mr Books said while Kane's exact location was unknown when the emergency call came, the call prompted a "fast-moving response with specialist teams dispatched and updated on route as new information came in".

He added that while challenges locating Kane did not contribute to his death, the service planned to review whether additional measures can be implemented to enhance their services, beyond those discussed in the inquest.