Police issue major update in Bournemouth beach tragedy that killed two children
Police have tonight issued a major update during their investigation into the Bournemouth beach tragedy in which two young people lost their lives.
A man in his 40s who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter has now been released under investigation while enquiries continue, Dorset Police said.
A 17-year-old boy from Southampton and a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire died after getting into difficulty in the water at the Dorset resort on Wednesday afternoon.
The two youngsters were from separate groups visiting the beach and the arrested man was not known to them, the police force said.
Police said earlier on Thursday that the two youngsters had not jumped from the pier or been hit by a jet-ski.
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Police on the pier in Bournemouth (Max Willcock/BNPS)Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan, of Dorset Police, said: "Our thoughts remain very much with the loved ones of the two young people at this horrendous time and we are doing all we can to support their families.
"We are continuing with our investigation, which is still at the early stages, and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident to both protect our enquiries and out of respect for the victims’ families.
"Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any swimmers at the time of the incident and there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet skis being involved.
Two young people tragically lost their lives yesterday (Max Willcock/BNPS)
"We know that the beach was very busy when this incident occurred. I am urging anyone who saw what happened, or has any information that may assist our investigation, to please come forward.
"Also, I urge anyone with relevant phone footage that may assist our enquiries to submit it to Dorset Police via the Major Incident Public Portal quoting Operation Marble rather than sharing it on social media.
"I would like to sincerely thank the members of the public who went to help the people in trouble in the water. I am also very grateful for the wider beachgoers who cleared the beach really quickly and allowed the emergency services to do their work.
Dorset Police said the youngsters were from two different groups (PA)"This incident sparked a multi-agency response from a range of emergency services, including the ambulance service, HM Coastguard, the RNLI, the fire service, BCP Council and Dorset Police. All these emergency responders came together to provide a really swift and well-coordinated response and did everything they could to save lives. I thank all of those responders for their professionalism and compassion in the face of this tragedy.
"We will have our local neighbourhood officers out on patrol over the coming days alongside our colleagues from the beach services at the local council and the RNLI. So if you have any information about the incident, or any concerns please do approach them."
A sightseeing boat, the Dorset Belle, has been impounded at Poole Harbour by police, according to reports.
The Dorset Belle at Cobb's Quay Marina in Poole (MaxWillcock/BNPS)A police source told The Times: "This vessel is under a police cordon. No-one is permitted onboard or to touch the vessel."
Speaking at a press conference, Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell confirmed that none of the swimmers had been in "physical contact" with a vessel and they had not jumped from the pier.
She added that speculation that jet-skis had been involved was also incorrect.
"Following our initial inquiries, a man aged in his 40s, who was on the water at the time, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter," she said.
"As we have a person in custody, you will know there is only limited information I can give about the investigation.
The boat has been impounded at Poole Harbour by police (MaxWillcock/BNPS)"However, to avoid further speculation, 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.
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"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."
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