An inquest has opened and adjourned into the death of a 13-year-old girl who drowned in a river during the May heatwave.
Palwasha Akbar died after she got into difficulties in the River Wharfe at Burnsall, North Yorkshire, on May 31.
This was the day before her 14th birthday.
Her family has previously said that they had gone to the popular riverside spot to celebrate Palwasha’s birthday with a family barbeque.
Assistant North Yorkshire coroner Alison Norton said: “Palwasha Akbar was at Bolton Abbey – more specifically Burnsall – on May 31, 2026, when she got into some difficulty in the water.
“She was retrieved from the water and taken to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, where she was later confirmed deceased.”
Ms Norton said the provisional cause of Palwasha’s death has been established as drowning.
The coroner said the teenager was born in Pakistan on June 1, 2012, and lived in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
She adjourned the five minute-long hearing to a date to be fixed.
Palwasha was one of at least 17 people who died in open-water incidents during the hot weather at the end of May.
After her death, her family issued a statement which said she was “a bright, kind, and caring young girl whose tragic passing has left her family, friends, and community heartbroken”.
It said: “Palwasha will be remembered for her kindness, her beautiful spirit, her devotion to her friends and family, and the happiness she brought to those around her.
“Her life was taken far too soon, but her memory will live on forever in the hearts of everyone who loved her.”
