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Khizar Hayat: Inquest hears teenager drowned after jumping into reservoir

JustGiving Khizar HayatJustGiving
Khizar Hayat's body was recovered by police divers more than three hours after he was reported missing in the water

A South Yorkshire teenager who drowned in a reservoir began panicking moments after jumping into the water from a bridge, an inquest heard.

Khizar Hayat, 19, failed to properly resurface after plunging into Ulley Reservoir in Rotherham on 22 September.

The student grabbed a friend in an effort to stay afloat immediately after entering the water.

At Doncaster Coroner's Court, senior coroner Nicola Mundy recorded his death as a result of drowning.

Emergency services were called to the reservoir at about 17:55 BST to reports of a man in the water, the inquest heard.

Mr Hayat, from Sheffield, was the second in his group of four friends to have decided to jump in, with him "immediately in shock, panicking and shouting", the inquest was told.

During his struggle to stay afloat, Mr Hayat was said to have tried to grab hold of his friend who was already in the water, but pushed his friend's head under, leading to them also struggling to swim.

Geograph/Stephen McKay The bridge at the reservoirGeograph/Stephen McKay
Mr Hayat jumped from the bridge before getting into difficulty, the court heard

"Despite being asked to calm down, his panic overtook him and no doubt was endangering the life of the person who he was with at the time," Ms Mundy said.

"The friends had to watch as Khizar went under the water a few more times before he completely disappeared," she added.

Ms Mundy heard a pathologist's report which stated that Mr Hayat claimed to be a "relatively good swimmer" with his family having no concerns about him and friends travelling to the reservoir.

A police statement said Mr Hayat had asked his group of friends, some of who had smoked cannabis, how he should jump in.

One said the student was told he should "cannonball" into the water, the inquest heard.

Mr Hayat's body was later recovered from the water by police divers at about 21:15 BST that evening.

Ms Mundy said the police had ruled there were no suspicious circumstances in the teenager's death.

The coroner ruled Mr Hayat's death was misadventure by drowning.

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