An 11-year-old girl who died after entering the River Thames was trying to help a friend retrieve a shoe, an inquest has heard. Kaliyah Coa disappeared from Barge House Causeway in east London on March 31 last year, sparking a large-scale search before her body was found.
Inquest Rules Death Accidental
Her death was recorded as accidental at an inquest attended by her family at East London Coroner's Court on Thursday (July 16). Coroner Graeme Irvine concluded that Kaliyah died from immersion in the River Thames. He said: "It seems to me that the only short-form conclusion I can give is accidental death."
The court heard Kaliyah had been to a birthday party the day before her death and later asked her father if she could stay for a sleepover. In a statement, Mr Coa said he initially opposed the sleepover but agreed after speaking with the other child's father. He said: "I didn't want to spoil the fun so I said it was okay."
Events Leading to Tragedy
The children made breakfast the next morning and went to a nearby park before heading to Barge House Causeway. Kaliyah spoke to her father while near the river, telling him she was close to the Thames. Mr Coa said he would have been "more relieved" if she had gone to a park instead. He said Kaliyah asked if she could "dip her toes" in the water, and he reminded her it was not a beach, raising his voice to tell her to move away. Kaliyah replied: "Pops, I know about the currents."
Nathan Guy, whose home overlooked the jetty, called 999 after witnessing the incident. He said he saw five children playing near the jetty and heard one say: "You made me throw it." One child had lost a shoe in the river, and Kaliyah tried to help retrieve it. Mr Guy said Kaliyah used a scooter to reach the shoe before another child told her: "It's too expensive. Don't use that." He told police: "I saw the girl by the river. I called 999 and went back to the door and saw the girl struggling in the water. I turned away then I saw her head under the water."
Coroner's Findings
Mr Irvine said there was no evidence of hostility or bullying, describing what happened as "play." He added: "These were children who were friends. It is a testament of Kaliyah as a confident and helpful and kind child that she tried to help her friend." After a search involving emergency services and the Coastguard, Kaliyah's body was recovered from the Thames on April 13, 2025. Pathologist Professor Alan Bates found Kaliyah was a "perfectly healthy child" with no significant injuries, concluding her cause of death was immersion.
The coroner said the other children should not be criticised for not entering the water to rescue Kaliyah, as there is "no Good Samaritan law" in England and Wales. He added that entering the Thames would have been dangerous due to currents and conditions. Concluding the inquest, Mr Irvine said: "This is a case that has haunted me from the moment I received it in April 2025. I see this as a tragic accident."
