Overview
- The toll from separate open-water incidents across the UK has reached 11 after bodies were recovered in Swanscombe, Kent, and from the River Thames near Oxford on Wednesday.
- The spate of tragedies followed a late-May heatwave that produced the hottest May day on record, with temperatures reaching about 35.1°C on Tuesday, which drove many people to swim in rivers, lakes and the sea.
- Reports collated from multiple police forces show the majority of those who died were children and teenagers, with at least eight young people among the fatalities.
- Fire, police and specialist underwater-search teams carried out large multi-agency searches and recovery operations and families are being supported while coroners prepare formal inquiries and cause-of-death determinations.
- The RNLI, RLSS and the National Water Safety Forum warned that water stays dangerously cold even in hot weather, that cold-water shock can cause an involuntary gasp and loss of control, and that the cluster is likely to renew calls for more lifeguarded sites and water-safety education.