A TODDLER and eight-year-old boy are among the tragic young people who have died in rivers, canals and seas this year.
Water safety experts have issued warnings after ten people aged 19 and under lost their lives in bodies of water during the sunnier parts of 2024 – often while out enjoying the nice weather with friends.
This weekend, a bank holiday, is also set to see sunshine in some parts of the country, meaning young people may choose to go out and enjoy the pleasant conditions – with a possibility of disaster.
Carlene McAvoy, Senior Policy Manager at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), told The Sun about the importance of staying safe around water, “especially this bank holiday weekend”.
She said: “Sadly over the summer we’ve heard of a number of drowning fatalities that have happened, and this does tend to happen more so over the summer months in the UK.
“At ROSPA we’ve been looking into the data… the most frequent age group from our analysis is those aged 20 to 29, and this has been relatively consistent over the past couple of years.”
Giving safety advice for people planning to use inland waterways, she said: “We suggest that you learn the water safety code, and very specifically, learn the hazards in inland waterways.”
She added: “It might be easy to get into the water but difficult to get out, it’s unlikely there’ll be lifeguards at inland locations.
“It may be difficult to estimate the depth and there may be rubbish, debris in the bank area.”
Young people may also wish to familiarise themself with guidance from the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), which warns that warm weather is directly linked to a rise in fatal drowning incidents.
Advice on the organisation’s website reads: “46% of drownings occur in the summer months and this rises to 75% amongst 13 – 17-year olds.
“Rivers and Lakes/Lochs pose the greatest statistical risk as there are often hazards that the average person is equipped to handle and there is a lack of professional supervision.
“Accidents are mostly preventable with the correct knowledge and judgment.”
It lists several tips for staying safe in the water, like thinking about potential hazards, entering slowly and carefully, never jumping from heights, reading local signs and seeking lifeguarded areas.
It comes as an inquest heard that a 15-year-old girl drowned in Britain’s longest river after playing with friends during the summer heatwave.
Holli Smallman was playing on the banks in the River Severn when a group of teenagers went in during the recent warm weather – and vanished under the water.
She was in the 220-mile long river at Welshpool, mid-Wales, when she went missing. Her body was found around three hours later.
An inquest opening heard she was found downriver from where she entered by fire officers and could not be revived.
Samuel Oluwatosin Oluwagbenga, 17
Samuel died on a school trip after getting into trouble in the sea.
The pupil, from west London, lost his life while playing in the water with pals in West Wittering near Chichester on July 2.
He was a student at Uxbridge College – and was on a coach trip with 50 other pupils to the popular tourist spot.
Boy, 2
A distraught mum screamed “my baby boy” as her two-year-old son tragically died after ‘wandering out to feed the ducks’.
The Sun reported earlier this month that the toddler is believed to have fallen into a canal off Hendon Avenue in Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, after leaving his home unnoticed.
Cory Chilvers, 18
Cory died after his kayak capsized in Norfolk.
He had been using an inflatable kayak on the Middle Level Main Drain in Wiggenhall St Germans, around four miles south of King’s Lynn, Norfolk Police said.
A member of the public called emergency services after the teenager disappeared underwater at around 3.49pm at a date in late July, according to the force.
The kayak, initially reported as a canoe, was recovered on the day he went missing.
Following a search, which included a specialist underwater team from the Metropolitan Police, the body of the teenage boy was found in the water at Middle Level Main Drain, police said.
Malika Hibu, 5
Malika was found drowned in a canal less than an hour after her desperate mum reported her missing, an inquest was told in July.
The five-year-old girl was pulled from the water by a hero neighbour following the horror near her home in Islington, North London.
An inquest heard how the youngster had been reported missing by her mum before the tragedy in February unfolded.
Oxford University student, 19
In July The Sun reported how a 19-year-old died in a river while celebrating the end of his university exams.
The student was said to have been wearing academic dress as he entered the River Thames near Oxford during the celebrations.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and the teen was rushed to hospital, but he died a short time later.
Ronalds Abele, 17
Ronalds, 17, died after being pulled from a river in Northamptonshire.
He got into difficulty in the River Nene at Wellingborough in early May.
Following a large scale operation involving a specialist fire crew, the teen was airlifted to Northampton General Hospital.
Despite the efforts of medics, Ronalds was pronounced dead a short time later.
Joshua Hillstead, 8
Joshua, from Maypole, Birmingham, was pronounced dead shortly after being pulled from the River Arrow in Alcester in June.
The eight-year-old boy tragically died in his father’s arms after drowning in the Warwickshire river.
The hearing was told pathologist Dr Barlow carried out the post mortem examination at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital but her medical cause of death needed further investigation.
Coroner Patricia Morgan adjourned the inquest in Pontypridd until a later date for further investigations to take place.
Holly’s tragedy is not the only recent incident of young people losing their lives in bodies of water this year.
Joshua Hillstead, from Maypole, Birmingham, was pronounced dead shortly after being pulled from the River Arrow in Alcester in June.
The eight-year-old boy tragically died in his father’s arms after drowning in the Warwickshire river.
In another tragic case, a distraught mum screamed “my baby boy” as her two-year-old son died after ‘wandering out to feed the ducks’.
The Sun reported earlier this month that the toddler is believed to have fallen into a canal off Hendon Avenue in Ettingshall, Wolverhampton, after leaving his home unnoticed.
His parents had left a door open to cope with the intense heat, according to their devastated neighbours.
In May, The Sun reported how a second teen boy died after reportedly falling into a river while playing on a rope swing – with a stricken pal trying to save him.
David Radut, 14, died amid the horror at the River Tyne near Ovingham Bridge in Northumberland earlier this year.
Police confirmed his pal, Aras Rudzianskas, 13, from Newcastle – who David was said to have tried to save – died in hospital.
In March, police launched an appeal to find five-year-old Daniel Alaby after he went missing from his home in Thamesmead, south-east London, at 5.30pm.
At 6.23pm officers looking for Daniel found a child in the river, the Metropolitan Police said at the time.
The boy – understood to be Daniel – was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead, the force added.
Speaking at Holli Smallman’s inquest, Coroner Patricia Morgan said: “I would like to express my condolences to the family of Holli Smallman during this tragic time.”
Her family paid tribute to “loving and caring” Holli who they said lived a life “full of song and dancing” and warned of the dangers of entering the water.
Holli’s family said: “We are so heartbroken and would never want any other family to go through the pain that we are going through.
“The dangers of water have been brought home in a way that no one can imagine and we plead with children and parents to take the upmost care when near open water.”
They said: “We wish to express how heartbroken we are by the tragic passing of our loving and caring girl Holli. The overwhelming grief and heartache devastates us all.”
They said she was a “beloved sister, daughter, and granddaughter” as well as a “popular pupil at Welshpool High School” and the local army cadets.
They added: “Holli was fun-loving and lived a life full of song and dancing, had an infectious joy for life and her positive and lovable cheeky nature made an impact on everyone she ever met.
“Holli formed a very strong bond with her group of friends and spent her time with them in or out of school. Holli had a talent, flair and passion for makeup and beauty and planned to train in that field after leaving school.
“Holli learned new life skills and she was maturing into a beautiful young and rounded person and was extremely supportive and caring to her siblings and family who meant the world to her.
“Holli has been taken from us at far too young an age.
“She had her whole life ahead of her and there will be a hole in our lives that will never heal, and we will never forget the amazing person that Holli was.
“She loved her family, and she loved her friends and showed that every day.
“We are all so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and kindness shown to us as a family and we thank you all for the messages and gestures made to us from everyone in the community. We have seen your messages which have meant so much to us.
“We also have in our hearts and minds the friends who were with Holli that tragic day. The support and compassion shown to us from the community, we extend to them in this unimaginable time, and they are all in our thoughts.
“We also want to express our heartfelt thank you to all of the emergency services and rescue teams who did all they could to help Holli on that evening and the NHS staff at Telford who have been so supportive.”
The Severn at 220 miles (354 km) long, is the longest river in Great Britain.
