Bournemouth beach: Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following death of two children at Bournemouth beach released under investigation

A boy, 17, from Southampton and a girl, 12, from Buckinghamshire, died after getting into difficulty in the water at the Dorset resort on Wednesday and another eight people were treated by paramedics.

The man in his 40s who was ‘on the water’ at the time had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter but was later released under investigation yesterday. He was not known to the children who died.

Reports also suggested that a sightseeing boat, the Dorset Belle, had been impounded at Poole Harbour by police.

Speaking at a press conference earlier on Thursday, Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: ‘To avoid further speculation, I am able to tell you that it’s clear that yesterday a number of people already in the water got into difficulty and we are investigating the circumstances or event that caused that to happen.

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‘Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any of the swimmers at the time of the incident.

‘I can also confirm there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet-skis being involved.’

It was also confirmed that the two youngsters were not related and mourners have been placing flowers at the beach to pay their respects to the children and their families.

Eyewitness Howard Cohen, from London, said: ‘I could see a lot of commotion going on, there were a lot of ambulances, police and people rushing to the beach.

‘Later on they cleared the beach. It was just awful. At the time there was a lot of panic going on with the police and ambulance.’