Aryan Ghoniya: Cardiff boy's river death 'won't be the last'

Aryan Ghoniya died in the River Taff in Cardiff

The family of a 13-year-old boy who died in a Cardiff river said they fear his death "won't be the last".

Aryan Ghoniya died after getting into difficulty in the water while playing with friends in the River Taff in June.

His family said Aryan's friend's father tried to save him, but found debris and "trolleys" in the river, which they now want cleared up.

Wales has almost double the drowning rate compared to the rest of the UK, according to recent figures.

In an exclusive interview with BBC Wales, Aryan's family revealed the "stellar" and "academically brilliant" student was "working on achieving a world record for solving the Rubik's cube".

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His relative, Vimla Patel said: "It is a very difficult time for the grieving family, especially his parents Hina and Jitu and his sister Navya.

"However, at times like this, we realise the goodness of people and communities".

Aryan's mother Hina, father Jitendra and sister Naviya visited the tributes at Windsor Gardens in Radyr

The family of the Radyr Comprehensive School pupil are asking children not "to get tempted to swim during hot weather".

"Aryan was like any other young boy - loving, caring and adventurous. His tragic death while swimming in the River Taff has devastated our family and the community," added Ms Patel.

"His parents and family are still trying to come to terms with this tragedy and advise everyone to be careful and cautious while swimming in waters you are not familiar with, especially if a lifeguard is not around."

Ms Patel said the family "wholeheartedly plead" for others to not swim in rivers or other "unsafe places" to prevent others going through the "anguish and pain" they have.

"We fear that Aryan's death won't be the last."

At the opening of the inquest into Aryan's death, Pontypridd Coroner's Court heard a post-mortem examination gave a preliminary cause of death as "immersion".

The inquest heard his friends called 999.

Aryan's funeral took place at Thornhill Crematorium in Cardiff

In May, Kane Edwards, 13 died after getting into difficulty in the River Tawe in Swansea.

On average, about 45 people die in water-related incidents each year in Wales, with an average of 600 people across the UK, according to figures from Water Safety Wales.

Wales and Scotland have a disproportionately high number of accidental drownings in relation to their populations, according to the UK Drowning Prevention Strategy.

This, in part, it said is because of tourism and the number of people living near water.

The Wales strategy states: "The drowning rate in Wales is almost double the UK rate."

In 2018, more people in Wales died from accidental drowning than in fires, motorcycle and cycling accidents or in the workplace, according to the document.

Aryan's family have now called for safety changes in Wales.

Ms Patel said: "The family would like to see changes and extra safety measures brought in near rivers and other water bodies. We would also like to see appropriate signs by the river."

Aryan with his grandparents, parents and younger sister

The family have also revealed the efforts made to save Aryan.

"Aryan's friend's father jumped in the water to save him and he found a lot of debris in the River Taff such as trolleys, wheels and metal pieces," Ms Patel said.

"We would like to request the public not to throw such items in the river and the authorities to clean the river in an attempt to save people's lives."

The family want parents and schools to "help young people understand the dangers of swimming in unsafe places" and for schools to "do more to teach every child to swim".

The Wales Drowning Prevention Strategy 2020-2026 has the goal of halving the number of accidental drowning deaths by 2026.

It also has a role in making water safety information bilingual in communities where Welsh is the first language.