Bournemouth incident: Cops accused of fuelling ‘wild speculation’ on tragedy probe after girl, 12, & boy, 17, killed | The Sun

COPS have been accused of fuelling "wild speculation" on their probe into the Bournemouth beach tragedy which saw a girl and a boy killed.

A 17-year-old lad and 12-year-old girl tragically lost their lives after getting into difficulty on the water near Bournemouth Pier on Wednesday.

Witnesses described the moment as like something out of a "horror film" as paramedics scrambled to resuscitate the two.

Despite their best efforts, the teen and young girl, who cops say were not known to each other, had to be airlifted to hospital where they passed away shortly after.

Dorset Police immediately launched a probe into the deaths.

Speculation on social media quickly spread as people suggested the swimmers had jumped off the pier and been struck by a jet-ski.

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Despite Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell ruling out this theory on Thursday, it still isn't clear what went wrong for two kids to die and eight others to be injured.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, has now said the local force need to "clarify the general circumstances" and give parents a piece of mind.

He said: "There needs to be a review.

"The police are conducting their investigation, there needs to be a review of the circumstances to see whether any safety measures and protocols need to be upgraded to ensure this doesn't happen in the future.

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"I encourage Dorset Police to clarify the general circumstances of this tragic accident to avoid further wild speculation and uncertainty for parents who may be cautious about going to any part of the beach, [because they are] unclear of exactly what happened in this terrible incident."

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

He has since been released under investigation.

It was revealed yesterday the boy was visiting Bournemouth for the day with friends.

Among the group was survivor Lauren Tate, 18, who was admitted to hospital on Thursday but is now back home recovering.

Her dad told the Mail she was swimming with pals at the time when the "rip tide took them out".

He said: "We’ve seen all the stuff about boats and jet skis but it wasn’t like that.

"She was swimming in the sea with her friends when the rip tide took them out.

"She was lucky to get pulled from the sea by the coastguard and one of her other friends was rescued by a paddleboarder.

"I know the boy who died was at college with her, but I don’t know anything about him.

"All she told me is that they all met up on the train and headed to Bournemouth beach for the day."

A dad who was on a pleasure cruise by the pier says lifeguards gave a danger warning moments before the horror incident.

It comes as the 12-year-old girl's family has paid tribute to the schoolgirl.

She has been remembered as a popular youngster whose life was tragically cut short.

A relative said: “She was the best cousin in the world and was like my sister.

“You showed me what love is, you’re my sister, always remember that you will go to heaven.”

The boy, from Southampton, was brought ashore on a jet ski by a lifeguard and given CPR on the beach.

About 15 minutes later the girl, from Buckinghamshire, was brought out after being found floating face down in the sea.

Mackenzie Creech, 18, and a pal dived into the sea when screams and shouts alerted them to the 12-year-old face down in the water.

Nicola Holton, at the beach with her partner and children, told The Sun: “It was like a scene from a horror film.

"When we first spotted the swimmers in distress, they were far out to the east side of the pier.

"A lifeguard ran into the water with a surfboard.

“We saw the young man and girl brought out. It was just awful.”

One witness, Ritta Saruchera, said her daughter and her friend were in the sea at the time when they saw what happened.

She said: "They were coming back out of the water when they saw a teenage boy struggling. There was another one floating in the water."

Michaela Robinson Grant was at a bar on the pier and said: “My friend and I were crying as it was traumatic to witness.”

Flowers were yesterday laid on the beach in tribute to the kids who lost their lives.

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Dorset Police were called on Thursday to a mass brawl of youths on the beach who had "bats" and "weapons".

Footage appears to show the moment around 50 youngsters crowded around as two cops desperately tried to stop the commotion.

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