17-year-old who died in Bournemouth beach incident identified as ‘fabulous’ young chef
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The family of Joe Abbess, a 17-year-old boy who died after an incident in the water off Bournemouth beach, have paid tribute to his memory.
The 17-year-old died in hospital along with 12-year-old girl Sunnah Khan after an incident in the water where they sustained 'critical injuries'.
Emergency services rescued them along with eight other people whose injuries were not life threatening.
Dorset Police are appealing for anyone who was a witness to the incident which occurred at around 4.30pm on 31 May to come forward with information, particularly if they have pictures or videos that could help shed some light on the situation.
They said they wanted 'respect for the families' and that they were pursuing several lines of inquiry as part of their investigation.
Joe's family released a statement paying tribute to the memory of a 'wonderful son and brother' who had 'a bright future ahead of him'.
They said: "We are heartbroken and devastated at the death of our Joe. He was a wonderful son and brother who is sadly missed.
"His family and friends will always love him and we are incredibly proud of the fabulous young man he was. He was kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny. Joe was a talented trainee chef, with a bright future ahead of him.
"We were privileged to have him in our lives for 17 years and we are so sorry he will never fulfil his dreams and ambitions.
"He was enjoying a day at the beach on Wednesday and we would like to thank his friends and all of the emergency services who helped him, when this tragedy unfolded."
An inquest into the death of the Southampton boy and Buckinghamshire girl is expected to be opened following confirmation from a coroner.
A man in his 40s who was 'on the water' at the time of the incident was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before being released while officers continue their investigation.
Police said there was no suggestion that pier jumping or jet skis had been a part of the incident which had led to the two deaths and asked people not to speculate about what had happened.
Dorset Police Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said that during the incident 'a number of people already in the water got into difficulty', and that the early stages of their investigation indicates 'no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers'.
Anyone with information is asked to submit it online. People with information can also call the police on 101 and provide them with information by quoting occurrence number 55230083818.
