Teenager drowned trying to rescue friend
A TEENAGER drowned at a beauty spot trying to rescue a friend from rapids, an inquest heard.
Strong swimmer Ali Ahmed, 19, was dragged under at Lower Bruar Falls, Perthshire, on a holiday with a group on July 13 last year, after he got trapped in a cave.
The fast-food worker, from East Ham, London, was trying to save a friend who had got into difficulty, when the strong currents pulled him into the cavern.
Other group members tried to rescue Mr Ahmed before he disappeared in a deep pool inside the cave near the waterfall.
His friend, Zein Shivli Khalifa, 19, told the inquest they were with a group of eight on their first trip away together when tragedy struck.
He said they were leaping into the water as they arrived at the swimmers’ haunt near Blair Atholl. He added: ‘A guy said it’s not that deep but be careful of the current. He said stay away from the cave because there was an area three metres deep.’
The two 19-year-olds and others jumped in then tried to persuade a friend to join them.
Mr Khalifa said: ‘It took a long time trying to convince our friend. As soon as he jumped in he went under. He swam back up, realised the current was pushing him towards the cave and started panicking.’
The inquest at Poplar, East London, heard how the force of the water pulled them towards danger as they tried to rescue their friend. Mr Khalifa said: ‘I grabbed him but I couldn’t swim because I was holding him and the current pushed us to the shallow end of the cave.’
However, they managed to drag him to safety but in the chaos that ensued Mr Ahmed had gone missing. Mr Khalifa added: ‘I was swimming out of the cave. Our friends said, “What’s happened, where’s Ali?”. Ali thought both of us were drowning. He was trying to help. I think the current pushed him into the cave.’
The teenager said that at this point others began shouting, ‘Ali is drowning’. ‘I went inside trying to help him. I grabbed him but he was not saying anything.’
Unable to hold on to his friend, he almost suffered the same fate but was lifted clear – shortly before the emergency services arrived. Mr Khalifa added: ‘They said it was too dangerous to go in and we would have to wait until the next day for divers to come. Ali had been a swimmer since he was a child.’
Coroner Mary Hassell, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said: ‘In spite of strenuous efforts of his friends, he succumbed to the cold and fatigue of swimming against the current.’