Bournemouth beach deaths: Who were victims Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess?

THE Bournemouth beach incident on May 31 claimed the lives of a 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy.

Both victims died in hospital due to their injuries on that fateful day and have now been named.

Bournemouth beach incident: What happened?

The Bournemouth beach incident occurred during half-term and included the deaths of two young people including a total of eight injuries.

On the day of the tragedy emergency services closed the beach while two helicopters were present to help with the rescue operation.

The circumstances on what exactly happened on that fateful day is still being investigated with police keeping an “open mind” regarding the circumstances.

It is believed a wave caused by a boat may have overcome swimmers nearby causing a powerful current.

Sadly, Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess lost their lives after suffering critical injuries.

Who were the victims Sunnah Khan and Joe Abbess?

Sunnah Khan was a 12-year-old from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and Joe Abbess was a 17-year-old from Southampton.

Khan was reportedly swimming at Bournemouth beach with her siblings and was chest-deep in the water before being pulled under.

A post-mortem confirmed she had drowned.

Her funeral was on June 3 and was described as an "angel" by a family friend.

"She was an absolute force of nature, liked by all and loved by so many,” said the friend who spoke to a national newspaper.

According to Khan’s mum, Stephanie Williams, police have still not explained the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s tragic death.

Stephanie told The Sun: “It’s just really difficult to accept. Somebody has potentially caused Sunnah to be taken away from us.

“The police have only told us what they said in a statement. The cause of death was drowning, there were no other injuries.

“We don’t actually know how it came about. I don’t understand how somebody can be released on bail for double manslaughter. How does that work?”

The second victim of the Bournemouth incident has been named as Joe Abbess.

His parents have issued a statement saying they were had "privileged to have him in our lives".

"He was kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny," they added.

"Joe was a talented trainee chef, with a bright future ahead of him… we are so sorry he will never fulfil his dreams and ambitions."

What has happened since the incident?

Since the tragedy, a man in his 40s who was “on the water” at the time was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter but was released under investigation.

A sightseeing boat, The Dorset Belle, was also seized and cordoned off by officers probing the deaths.

According to Dorset Police, both the state of the water and the impact of weather conditions could be the cause of the two deaths rather than previous speculation that the pair had jumped from the pier.

"We are working with experts from partner agencies to understand all of the factors and this will take time to establish,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan.

“As with any investigation of this nature, we have to look at all factors connected to the state of the water,” he said.

“One of those lines of inquiry has involved the pleasure boat, which was in the area at the time of the incident. These inquiries also include examining wind, other weather and general coastal conditions at the time.

“We are working with experts from partner agencies to understand all of the factors and this will take time to establish.”