The mothers of two children who drowned in Bournemouth have paid tributes to them at the start of an inquest into their deaths.
Sunnah Khan, 12, and Joe Abbess, 17, died after they were thought to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort on 31 May last year
Eight other people were treated by paramedics.
At Dorset Coroner’s Court in Bournemouth on Tuesday the families of the pair spoke about their loss.
Joe’s mother Vanessa said the family has been “devastated” at the loss of their “generous, loving, caring, hardworking and funny” son.
She said the trainee chef at Southampton Football Club was “a wonderful son, brother and friend and we are all devastated by his death, he is greatly missed”.
She added: “We were privileged to have him in our lives for 17 years and we are all so sorry that he will never be able to fulfil his dreams and ambitions.”
Stephanie Williams described her daughter Sunnah as “kind, funny, reliable, smart and incredibly beautiful”.
“At her core Sunnah was kind, funny, reliable, smart and incredibly beautiful. Her smile lit up a room and her laugh was infectious.
“She cared about so many people and would do anything for her family and friends. She was a force of nature, to know her was to be truly lucky. We have missed her and will continue to miss her for the rest of our lives.”
On Monday a coroner ruled a pleasure cruiser was not involved in a “causative or contributory” way following the deaths.
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Source Agencies
