Tributes pour in for ‘angel’ girl who died in Bournemouth beach tragedy
Tributes have been paid to an ‘angel’ schoolgirl who died while swimming off Bournemouth beach with her brother.
Sunnah Khan, from Buckinghamshire, lost her life after getting into difficulty in the sea at the Dorset resort on Wednesday.
The 12-year-old was pulled from the water and airlifted to hospital in a critical condition before dying shortly after.
More than 200 friends and family members gathered at her funeral yesterday at the Central Mosque in High Wycombe.
Sunnah was remembered as a popular student and looking forward to a bright future, The Sun reported.
‘She will be missed by everyone, she was very popular and her death will leave a hole that will be impossible to fill, ‘ a family friend said.
‘She had so much more to look forward to. She was an angel.’
Others described Sunnah as ‘an absolute force of nature’, who was ‘liked by all and loved by so many’.
Mohammed Rafiq, a trustee at the Wycombe Islamic Mission and Mosque, said people travelled from towns across the region to pay their respects to the victim.
The 65-year-old told the newspaper: ‘What happened is tragic for the family.
‘They are very hard-working and well respected, this is a close-knit community.’
Emergency services including two air ambulances, the coastguard, firefighters and police descended on the beach shortly after 4.30pm.
A 17-year-old boy from Southampton was also pronounced dead in hospital, and another eight were rescued from the sea.
Flowers, candles and cards have since been left at the pier for the victims by lo
Dorset Police arrested a man in his 40s who was ‘on the water’ at the time of the incident on suspicion of manslaughter, but he has since been released under investigation.
The two victims were from separate groups visiting the beach and the arrested man was not known to them, the force confirmed earlier this week.
Officers are also continuing to search the Dorset Belle, with the 78ft sightseeing boat still under guard in Poole Harbour.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.