Bournemouth beach deaths: Sunnah Khan in sea nearly an hour

Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, both died on 31 May

A 12-year-old girl who drowned off Bournemouth beach was in the water nearly an hour after getting into difficulty, a coroner has said.

A pre-inquest hearing into the deaths of Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess was told that CCTV from 31 May showed a group of young people struggling at 15:46 BST.

Dorset coroner Rachael Griffin said the lifeguard arrived seven minutes later.

She said Mr Abbess, 17, was pulled from the sea at 16:18 but Sunnah was not found until 16:45.

Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and Joe Abbess, from Southampton, died and eight others were treated by paramedics following the incident.

The beach was cleared as emergency services attended the incident on 31 May

At the opening of their inquests in June, the court heard there was a "suggestion" a riptide had led to the pair drowning.

At the pre-inquest hearing on Monday, Dorset Coroner's Court was told a pleasure cruiser, the Dorset Belle, was cleared of any involvement by Dorset Police.

But the coroner said she could not yet rule out that the movement of the boat was a factor in their deaths.

She said: "At the moment I do not know what the cause of the rip current was. It's too early for me to rule out the movement of the boat."

Ms Griffin said she would seek expert evidence to help find the cause of the incident and said: "I want an expert who may be able to help me with the weather, tidal movements and causes of rip currents."

She added she wanted details of risks identified after an incident also involving the Dorset Belle in August 2021 when 17 people were reportedly rescued from the water.

Further hearings will be held on 23 January and 20 June before the full inquest, listed for three weeks, begins on 23 September.