A 15-year-old girl drowned after being swept out to sea while trying to retrieve a volleyball at Formby Beach on bank holiday Monday, May 25. Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, was visiting her aunt in Bolton during half term and was unable to swim.
An inquest at Bootle Town Hall on June 3 heard that Chiedza and her 11-year-old cousin entered the water after the ball drifted into the sea. A wave pulled them out, with water quickly reaching Chiedza's chin. She was submerged and tried to climb onto her cousin, submerging her as well.
Chiedza was told to hold onto the ball as a flotation device while her cousin went for help, but it took 15 minutes to get assistance. Bystanders, including an off-duty doctor and two off-duty nurses, performed CPR for around 25 minutes before the air ambulance arrived. Despite efforts, Chiedza died at Alder Hey Hospital on May 30 from a brain injury caused by drowning.
Area coroner Ms Wheeler concluded the death was misadventure, describing it as 'the unintended result of a deliberate act of going into the water to retrieve the ball.' She offered condolences to the family and commended the bystanders who helped, while condemning illegal parking near the beach that could have hindered emergency services.
