Nine people have drowned in the UK since the start of the school summer holidays, including four children, according to new figures. The latest victim was a 14-year-old boy who died after getting into difficulty in the River Thames at Millwall Outer Dock, east London, on Monday.
Latest tragedy in London
Police searched the area for almost four hours before recovering the boy's body. A 14-year-old girl who laid flowers at the scene with her mother on Tuesday told the Mirror that she and others attempted to save the boy. She said: "A few of them jumped in together but one of the boys didn’t come up. I had to try and save him, a few people jumped in, they were all around my age."
She added: "We thought it was a joke, someone said ‘he’s pranking you’ then they started crying, so I was like this is real." Locals said the area had been frequented by youths in recent weeks to cool off in the heat.
Other tragedies
Tributes have been paid to five-year-old Letti Cole, who died after being found unconscious in a body of water in Badsey, Worcestershire last week. Her aunt, Hayley Cole, said: "Our family is completely heartbroken, devastated, and still in shock. No family should ever have to go through such an unimaginable loss."
Two children, Samiha Rahman, 15, and her seven-year-old cousin Musa Ahmed, died in a triple drowning at Mersea Island, Essex on July 22. An inquest into the double tragedy at Fistral Beach, Cornwall, on July 26 heard that father John Collins, 66, leapt into the sea to save his 32-year-old daughter Samantha Collins before both drowned.
Water safety campaign
A total of 42 people have died in open water since mid-May. The Mirror has launched the Save Lives For Sam water safety campaign to call for urgent action. Andy Burnham backed the campaign, saying: "I give great credit to The Mirror, so often a campaigning newspaper, but rightly so on this issue... It's really important that people understand the dangers of open water swimming, particularly if people are not regular swimmers, it can cause real issues."
He added: "Water safety measures around is part of it. It's also about making sure, as part of the curriculum, kids get the right swimming support, and that's I think a key part of the campaign."
