Beach had three ‘mass casualty rescues’

The beach where two young people drowned after being caught in a rip tide had experienced three “mass casualty rescues” during the two previous summers, an inquest has heard.

Joe Abbess, 17, from Southampton, and 12-year-old Sunnah Khan, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died after getting into trouble in the water off Bournemouth Beach in May 2023.

A further eight people were also rescued and treated by paramedics.

RNLI general manager Peter Dawes said there had been three “assists” involving five or more casualties during the summers of 2021 and 2022.

He said 18 people were rescued in an incident on 30 August 2021, eight on 17 July 2022, and 16 on 13 August 2022.

The Bournemouth inquest was told the three incidents were classed as “assists” rather than more serious “life-saved” rescues.

Mr Dawes said the last safety audit at the beach was carried out on 4 December 2020.

The hearing was told a “topographically-constrained rip” was identified as “high risk” in the audit, and improved signage was recommended.

Mr Dawes said that, overall, the beach was “relatively low hazard”, but that there was an “elevated risk” in windy and higher-wave conditions.

Coroner Rachael Griffin asked if the three previous incidents should have triggered a heightened risk level for the beach, but Mr Dawes said “not necessarily”.

“It’s essentially the fact these hazards exist which is why the lifeguard service is in place,” he said.

He said seven qualified lifeguards were on duty on the beach on the day of the incident, with further lifeguards and watercraft units from other beaches brought in once the seriousness of the incident was realised.

The inquest heard that, following the audit, a review of the signage was carried out by the RNLI on behalf of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, which owns the beach.

The review recommended additional warning symbols for “beware of strong currents” and “keeping children under supervision”.

The review was delayed by the pandemic and was sent to BCP Council in March 2023, two months before the incident.

The parents of the two youngsters have questioned the lifeguard response to the incident and whether better signs should have been in place warning of the risk of rip tides by the pier.

The inquest continues.