Swimmer found face down in water four days after going missing in sea at Clacton on hottest day

A swimmer was found face down in the water, several miles from where he went missing on the coast, an inquest has heard.

Sujal Sahu drowned on the hottest day of the year after disappearing while in the sea near Clacton Pier.

Temperatures in parts of the country topped 40C on 19 July, sending thousands of visitors to the seaside to try to escape the heat.

Four days later, the body of the 21-year-old was found face-down off the coast of Jaywick, near the village's Martello Tower.

Essex Coroner's Court heard that a postmortem examination carried out at Colchester Hospital concluded Mr Sahu had drowned, pending a toxicology report.

He had been visiting the coast with friends when he got into difficulty. Five other people were pulled from the water and taken to hospital.

According to a report in the Times of India, Mr Sahu’s parents had mortgaged their home to pay for their son's education.

Speaking to the newspaper, a friend Omkar Singh, described Mr Sahu as "nice, humble, sociable and friendly."

He said he had been enjoying himself at Cambridge where he had been living for two years.

The inquest into his death was adjourned until July next year, although senior coroner Lincoln Brookes indicated this was a "backstop date" that could be brought forward.

At least 14 people, many of whom were in their teens, are thought to have died in open water during last month's heatwave.

The youngest of them - 13-year-old Robert Hattersley - drowned in the River Tyne near Ovingham, Northumberland.

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