Boy, 17, who died in Bournemouth beach tragedy named by police

The family of a teenage boy who died in a tragic incident on Bournemouth beach has paid tribute to their son.

Joe Abbess, from Southampton, died after getting into difficulty in the water off Bournemouth beach last week.

His family has paid tribute to the ‘fabulous young man’.

Their statement said: ‘We are heartbroken and devastated at the death of our Joe. He was a wonderful son and brother who is sadly missed.

‘His family and friends will always love him and we are incredibly proud of the fabulous young man he was. He was kind and generous, loving and caring, hardworking and funny.

‘Joe was a talented trainee chef, with a bright future ahead of him. We were privileged to have him in our lives for 17 years and we are so sorry he will never fulfil his dreams and ambitions.

‘He was enjoying a day at the beach on Wednesday and we would like to thank his friends and all of the emergency services who helped him, when this tragedy unfolded.’

Tributes have also been paid to Sunnah Khan, 12, who was an ‘angel’ schoolgirl who died in the same incident while she was swimming 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’.

A group, which included a number of children, had got into difficulty in the water near Bournemouth Pier at around 4.30pm on Wednesday.

A man in his 40s who was in the water at the time was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

He has since been released under investigation.

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