A 12-year-old boy drowned after becoming trapped between two rocks in the River Swale at Richmond Falls, an inquest has heard. Khaled Basem Al Satouf, from Leeds, was on a family trip when he disappeared underwater on August 16.
Witness Paul Norton told Northallerton Coroner's Court that he saw Khaled in the water up to his neck and thought he was just messing around. Moments later, he heard screams from the family on a nearby pebble beach and realised the boy was gone.
A child witness, who cannot be named, said she was in the water with Khaled when he vanished. She stated that Khaled could swim a bit but not in that water, and she saw him go under for a while before raising the alarm.
North Yorkshire Police launched a search at around 5pm, and Khaled's body was found at approximately 10:45pm that evening, about 12 feet below the surface, trapped between rocks. Assistant coroner Alison Norton recorded a verdict of accidental death due to drowning.
