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Inquest Opens After Declan Berry Found Following River Nene Crash

The coroner recorded drowning as a provisional cause and adjourned the hearing for further investigation.

Overview

  • A blue Volkswagen Polo carrying five teenagers left the road at North Brink, Wisbech St Mary and plunged into the tidal River Nene on March 17, killing 18-year-old Declan Berry and 16-year-old Eden Bunn.
  • Eden Bunn's body was recovered from the submerged car on March 18 and the vehicle was salvaged from the river five days after the crash.
  • Declan Berry remained missing for 14 days before police, fire crews, volunteers and family recovered his body from the river on March 31.
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area coroner Simon Milburn opened an inquest on May 28, recorded a provisional cause of death for Declan as drowning, and adjourned the hearing to August 17 for further inquiry.
  • The River Nene at North Brink is a tidal stretch reported at about nine to 15 feet deep at times, which complicated searches, and Declan's family said he had been due to join the army this summer, a detail that family and community tributes have highlighted.