Pleasure boat impounded by police following deaths at Bournemouth beach, ITV News understands
Drone footage of the boat that has been reportedly impounded by Dorset Police.
A pleasure boat has reportedly been impounded by police as part of their investigation into the deaths of two youngsters who were pulled from the water at Bournemouth beach.
ITV News understands police have sealed off and are searching the vessel at Cobbs Quay Marina in Poole. Dorset Police said it could not confirm these reports.
It comes after a 17-year-old boy from Southampton and a 12-year-old girl from Buckinghamshire were recovered from the water at the beach on Wednesday. (31 May)
The pair who are from different families were airlifted to hospital but died a short time later from their injuries.
A man aged in his 40s arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
A sightseeing boat, the Dorset Belle, has been impounded at Poole Harbour by police, according to reports.
A police source told The Times: "This vessel is under a police cordon. No-one is permitted onboard or to touch the vessel."
Police have yet to confirm the full circumstances surrounding the incident, and are urging people not to speculate on social media.
A massive emergency response was launched at Bournemouth beach at 4:30pm on Wednesday following reports of a group of people in the water.
A total of ten people were recovered from the water.
Posting on Twitter on Thursday morning, the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood said: "This is a tragic incident.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the young girl and boy who lost their lives.
"Thank you to all the emergency services that responded so quickly."
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Corrigan, of Dorset Police, said: “Our thoughts remain very much with the loved ones of the two young people at this horrendous time and we are doing all we can to support their families.
“We are continuing with our investigation, which is still at the early stages, and would ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident to both protect our enquiries and out of respect for the victims’ families.
“Early investigation indicates that there was no physical contact between a vessel and any swimmers at the time of the incident and there is no suggestion of people jumping from the pier or jet skis being involved.
“We know that the beach was very busy when this incident occurred. I am urging anyone who saw what happened, or has any information that may assist our investigation, to please come forward.
“Also, I urge anyone with relevant phone footage that may assist our enquiries to submit it to Dorset Police via the Major Incident Public Portal quoting Operation Marble rather than sharing it on social media.
“I would like to sincerely thank the members of the public who went to help the people in trouble in the water.
"I am also very grateful for the wider beachgoers who cleared the beach really quickly and allowed the emergency services to do their work.
“This incident sparked a multi-agency response from a range of emergency services, including the ambulance service, HM Coastguard, the RNLI, the fire service, BCP Council and Dorset Police.
"All these emergency responders came together to provide a really swift and well-coordinated response and did everything they could to save lives. I thank all of those responders for their professionalism and compassion in the face of this tragedy.
“We will have our local neighbourhood officers out on patrol over the coming days alongside our colleagues from the beach services at the local council and the RNLI. So if you have any information about the incident, or any concerns please do approach them."
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