Canal death boy may have been tombstoning with friends, say firefighters

AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy whose body was pulled from a canal may have been tombstoning with a group of friends, firefighters have said.

The boy, named locally as Subhaan Ali, was with a group of boys when he went into the canal, which is just behind the Parkgate retail park, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Emergency services including police divers and firefighters were called to the scene at about 7pm on Thursday and a body was found 11pm.

One firefighter, watch manager Gary Willoughby, said he had heard the youngster had been tombstoning from a bridge over the canal and warned other children to at about stay away from open water. But, at a press conference at the scene, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue group manager Stewart Nicholson and acting chief inspector Helen Lewis, from South Yorkshire Police, stressed they had still not established how and why the boy entered the water.

Asked specifically about tombstoning, both officers said they were looking at a number of lines of inquiry.

Mr Nicholson said: “At this moment the investigation is very much in its early stages. I think it’s only right and proper that we let the full investigation take its time.

“At this time my thoughts are really with the family and the friends of this individual and allowing that investigation to be thorough.”

Ms Lewis said: “We’ve obviously got the tragic death of a young boy and our hearts go out to that family. We will follow all lines of inquiry and all lines of investigation.”