Police have confirmed that there is 'no suggestion' that the young boy and girl who died at Bournemouth beach were pier jumping or using jet skis at the time.
On Wednesday (31 May), Dorset Police launched a huge investigation after a 12-year-old girl and boy, 17, died at the popular tourist location.
Officers raced to the scene at around 4.30pm after receiving reports from paramedics of people requiring assistance on the beach off Bournemouth Pier.
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Sadly, however, the young boy and girl, who were among 10 people recovered from the water, suffered 'critical injuries' and later died in hospital, it was confirmed.
Following their death, police announced that they had arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of manslaughter. He has since been released while officers carry out their investigation.
Speaking at the time, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan of Dorset Police offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.
“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the young people who tragically died and we are doing all we can to support their families," he said.
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“I understand the beach was very busy at the time of the incident and I would ask anyone with information that may assist our enquiries to please come forward.
“We are at the early stages of our investigation and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
And now, Dorset Police Chief Constable Rachel Farrell has provided an update and confirmed that the girl and boy were from Buckinghamshire and Southampton.
She also told the assembled media that her team was thoroughly investigating the ‘circumstances or event’ and how the large group began to struggle in the water.
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"I am able to tell you that it's clear that yesterday a number of people already in the water got into difficulty and we are investigating the circumstances or event that caused that to happen," she said.
"Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers at the time of the incident.
"I can also confirm there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet-skis being involved."
Speaking to the BBC, eye-witness Ritta Saruchera said her daughter and her friend were in the sea at the time.
"They were coming back out of the water when they saw a teenage boy struggling," she recalled.
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"There was another one floating in the water.
"We went to get help from the lifeguard and inform them of what was happening. There were three young men out there and they have been searching for a fourth."
Topics: UK News
Dominic Smithers