Bournemouth beach: Dorset police say boy, 17 and girl, 12 who died were not hit by vessel or related

In a statement, Dorset Police have confirmed that the two children who died at Bournemouth beach on Wednesday were not hit by a vessel and there was ‘no suggestion’ of anyone jumping from the pier
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Dorset Police have said that a 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who died during a major incident at Bournemouth beach had "no physical contact" with a vessel on the water and were not related.

Following the incident, a man in his 40s who police confirmed was on the water at the time was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Ten people in total were rescued from the water, with eight treated by the ambulance service for injuries that were not life-threatening.

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Dorset Police say they received a report from the ambulance service requesting assistance at 4:32pm on Wednesday, May 31. At the scene was also the coastguard as well as two air ambulances.

In a statement issued today, a Dorset Police spokesperson said: “We continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident that occurred yesterday resulting in the deaths of a 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy.

“We are working with partner agencies to understand what has caused the tragedy. However, early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any swimmers at the time of the incident.

“We are investigating the circumstances that caused a number of swimmers to get into difficulty. Further information will be released as the investigation progresses.”

Dorset Police also confirmed the 17 year-old boy who died was from Southampton and the 12 year-old girl was from Buckinghamshire.