Police Recover Body Believed to Be Missing 12-Year-Old in River Ribble as Heatwave Raises Drowning Toll
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 26
Police Recover Body Believed to Be Missing 12-Year-Old in River Ribble as Heatwave Raises Drowning Toll
12 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 26
A body was recovered from the River Ribble at about 19:50 BST after a major search for a 12-year-old boy who went missing while swimming near Ribchester, Lancashire.
Lancashire Police said formal identification has not yet taken place but they believe it is the missing boy, who got into difficulty in the water at about 14:00 BST while with friends.
The death is not being treated as suspicious, a file will be passed to the coroner, and specially trained officers are supporting the boy's family.
The recovery came as much of England and Wales remained under heatwave alerts and the Royal Life Saving Society warned that warm weather often brings more accidental drownings because open water stays dangerously cold.
At least four other young people died in open water incidents over the Bank Holiday weekend in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Warwickshire and near Lincoln, while emergency services were also searching for a missing teenage boy in Cheshire.
With drowning deaths rising, why do most English local authorities still lack a dedicated water safety policy?
Are recurring heatwave drownings a new normal, or a solvable public safety crisis?