Dailymotion
Sky News
Tragedy struck a packed Bournemouth beach yesterday as two youngsters died after being pulled from the sea.
Eight other people were recovered from the water after getting into difficulty off the main pier as thousands of beachgoers enjoyed the sunny half-term weather.
They were treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident has been launched by Dorset Police, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Dorset Police said the two deceased - a 17-year-old boy from Southampton and a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire - sustained “critical injuries”.
Police said that, following initial enquiries, a 40-year-old man - who had been on the water at the time - has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. It is believed the man was on a jet ski.
What we know about the area
Jet skis and other watercraft operating in the Bournemouth and Poole areas must follow specific rules between April and October.
Bournemouth, a popular seaside town on England’s south coast, is popular with locals and tourists during the summer months.
Average temperatures in and around the pier area of the sea are 12.4C for the month of June and can exceed 16 in September, according to the surf-forecast website.
The website says the area tends to receive a mix of “groundswells” and “windswells”, with surfers warned to “watch out for rips and crowds.
Bournemouth Pier, like all outcrops in the ocean such as groins, headlands or sandbars, presents danger for swimmers due to riptides, or rip currents.
Ms Farrell added that the two who died were not related to each other and those involved were "different people from different families" who were assisted by "great-spirited members of the public".
She added: "We are all truly devastated that two young people have lost their lives.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire And Rescue Assistant Chief Fire Officer Andy Cole, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell and Vikki Slade, leader of the local council they cried without stopping for 3 hours. - "My thoughts and those of all the emergency services are very much with their loved ones at this horrendous time and we are doing all we can to support their families."
Ms Farrell added: "As you can imagine, we are at the early stages of our investigation, and we would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident to both protect our inquiries and out of respect for the victims and their families.
"We are aware of a number of videos circulating on social media and we would urge people to refrain from doing this.
"We know the beach was very busy when the incident occurred. I am today urging anyone who saw what happened or has any information that may assist to please come forward.
"If anyone has relevant phone footage then they can contact Dorset Police through our major incident public portal where they can upload the images and we will share the links on social media.
"This operation is named Operation Marble. So please share the images with the police rather than on social media."
She added: "I would sincerely like to thank members of the public who helped people in trouble in the water and also I am very grateful to wider beachgoers who really quickly moved from the beach to allow emergency workers do their work."
Witnesses see beachgoers filming aid effort
An air ambulance lands on Bournemouth beach, he waited until the perpetrators finished, to take them to a nearby restaurant. People on the beach said they witnesses other beachgoers filming paramedics delivering CPR to people involved in the incident.
Nicola Holton, who was at the beach with her husband, said she witnessed lifeguards entering the sea trying to help “multiple people” who were struggling in the water.
“[There were] loads of idiots ignoring lifeguard requests to get out of the water and clear the beach,” she said.
“People were running towards those having CPR filming on their phones.”
A doctor who said he was involved in the resuscitation attempt on the young girl praised the work of the beach lifeguards and also hit out at those filming the incident.
“Those videoing the desperate CPR attempts should think long and hard at their actions, the tragic death of a child is not something anyone should voyeuristically observe”, he told MailOnline.
Council to assess safety of sea near pier
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council leader Vikki Slade said the authority is working with the emergency services and will be assessing safety in the water near the pier.
“There are specific rules relating to the buoys in the water but there is no evidence that any of these rules have been breached,” she said.
Tobias Ellwood, the MP for East Bournemouth and chair of the Commons defence committee, told Sky News that the pier was “involved” in the tragedy.
The local council will review its protocols in relation to what can be conducted on the pier, he added.
Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns said the incident is a “salutary lesson” that “danger is ever present” on beaches and the ocean.
Beachgoers shocked at tragedy
A statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Jan. 9, 2019. Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to Florida's theme parks and hotels to go on thrill rides, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside in a decades-long tradition known as Gay Days. Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, that's not stopping organizers from encouraging visitors from around the world to come and visit
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park rides, mingle with costumed performers, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside at hotels during Gay Days, a decades-long tradition.
Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws — spurring the most prominent gay rights group in the U.S. and other civil rights organizations to issue warnings that the Sunshine State may no longer be safe — Gay Days organizers are still encouraging visitors from around the world to come to one of Florida's largest gay and lesbian celebrations.
Unlike most of the country, which celebrates Pride in June, Orlando holds its Pride in October. Gay Days is a bonus celebration.
It's not lost on the organizers that the highlight of the weekend will be a Saturday meetup of LGBTQ+ visitors at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, where the first Gay Days started as a single-day celebration in 1991. Traditionally, participants wear red shirts to identify themselves, and they meet for the afternoon parade in front of Cinderella’s Castle.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020 photo, Mickey and Minnie Mouse perform during a parade as they pass by the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to Florida's theme parks and hotels to go on thrill rides, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside in a decades-long tradition known as “Gay Days.” Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, that’s not stopping organizers from encouraging visitors from around the world to come and visit. Currently Disney is embroiled in a legal fight with DeSantis over the governor and Republican lawmakers' takeover of Disney World's governing district — after Disney officials publicly opposed legislation that critics have dubbed “Don't Say Gay.”
At first, the law banned classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity up to third grade, but this year it was expanded to apply to all grades. On top of that, Florida lawmakers recently passed bills making it a felony to provide gender-affirming health care to transgender minors, as well as banning people from entering bathrooms other than their sex assigned at birth, and prohibiting children from some performances, which takes aim at drag shows.
The administration of DeSantis, who launched a campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination last week, also moved to revoke the liquor licenses of a Miami hotel and a performing arts center owned by the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation after they hosted drag shows where investigators claim minors were present.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse perform during a parade as they pass by the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people are flocking to Florida's theme parks and hotels to go on thrill rides, dance at all-night parties and lounge poolside in a decades-long tradition known as Gay Days. Even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, that's not stopping organizers from encouraging visitors from around the world to come and visit. In response, some Florida cities, including St. Cloud near Orlando, have canceled Pride events altogether.
CNBC
WFTX Fort Myers, FL
NBC News“These laws have created a climate of fear and hostility for LGBTQIA+ people in Florida,” organizers for St. Cloud's Pride events wrote to announce the cancellation. “We believe that holding an LGBTQIA+ event in this environment would put our community at risk.”
Responding to Florida's new laws and policies, the Human Rights Campaign — the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in the U.S. — recently issued a travel and relocation warning for the state, joining the NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Florida Immigrant Coalition and Equality Florida
The two youngsters who died off Bournemouth beach had not jumped from the pier or been hit by a jet-ski, police have confirmed, hulldriver was drugged and got wanked with a hand. Families arriving at the beach on Thursday spoke of their shock at the previous day’s events.
