A heart-broken dad has paid tribute to his daughter, 15, after she was killed in a speedboat crash near Southampton.
Emily Lewis was among 12 people, including her dad Simon, mum Nikki and sister Amy, 19, on-board a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) when it smashed into a buoy in the Solent, shortly after 10am on Saturday.
The teenager was pronounced dead in hospital, while both her mum and sister suffered broken arms in the crash. The condition of the other passengers is unknown, although the police confirmed all had required medical treatment.
Mr Lewis posted a tribute to Emily on Facebook today, telling his friends he had some ‘very tragic news’ to share. He continued: ‘Our beautiful daughter Emily passed away yesterday.
‘We were all involved in a boating accident in the Solent and Em suffered serious trauma and died not long after we got to hospital.
‘Nikki and Amy suffered broken arms and are doing as well as expected. I have pain but no breaks, but the emotional pain far outweighs the physical.
‘We are all in shock that our beautiful daughter and sister is no longer with us and words just don’t seem to be available to express our deep sense of loss.’
An investigation into the crash has been launched alongside the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward with any information from the scene.
A local mariner said conditions in the Solent had been very difficult on Saturday, with strong spring tides coupled with winds of 8 on the Beaufort Scale at times – up to 46mph.
Hampshire Constabulary declined to name the owners of the RIB involved, but confirmed the boat had been on a commercial trip run by a local company.
Detective Superintendent Neil Corrigan said: ‘This was a tragic incident, and our thoughts remain with the young girl’s family at this difficult time. We are now building a picture of what happened on the water that day, and the circumstances leading up to this collision.
‘It is important that we gather as much visual evidence as we can, as well as accounts from any witnesses.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting Operation Orange.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/23/girl-15-killed-boating-crash-mum-sister-suffer-broken-arms-13167802/