Girl, 13, drowned in river in heatwave - inquest

A 13-year-old girl who "got into some difficulty" in a North Yorkshire river during the May UK heatwave died from drowning, an inquest has heard.

Palwasha Akbar, from Bradford, was playing in the River Wharfe at Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales on 31 May, the day before her 14th birthday.

Opening her inquest, Alison Norton, assistant coroner for North Yorkshire, said Palwasha "was retrieved from the water and taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where she was later confirmed deceased".

The provisional cause of Palwasha's death was established as drowning, the coroner said, with the inquest adjourned to a later date.

Palwasha's father, Irshad Akbar, said the family was "going through agony" following her death.

"We went there to celebrate her birthday, and her birthday turned into a death day. It is really shocking," he previously told the BBC.

The family had gone to the popular rural spot at Palwasha's request as a day trip during the hot weather.

The teenager was one of at least 17 people who died after getting into difficulty in water during the heatwave.

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