A teenage boy died after jumping into the River Thames minutes after getting off the bus on his way to school, an inquest has heard.
Zaheid Ali, 13, was pulled from the river eight days after plummeting from Tower Bridge on April 20.
The Year 8 pupil from Ark Globe Academy in Elephant and Castle, south London, had been travelling with a friend on the bus but got off a stop early before heading to the bridge, an inquest at Inner London Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday.
Bystanders threw life buoys into the water while others went in to try to save Zaheid but were unsuccessful, according to evidence heard at the the opening of the inquest.
Assistant Coroner Dr Julian Morris said: “He was travelling to school by bus with a friend, got off the bus one stop early and made his way to Tower Bridge.
“He entered the bridge, climbed over the barrier before jumping into the river.
“Witnesses threw life buoys into the river and entered the river but were unable to save him.”
He added that would-be rescuers retrieved only his coat and rucksack at that time.
Over a week later, he was found wearing a school uniform with name tags which helped to identify him, the inquest heard.
A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of the Southwark teenager’s death was “immersion”.
The inquest was adjourned and will resume on a date to be fixed.
Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel