Body of schoolboy, 12, was found trapped between two rocks after he drowned on family day out, inquests hears

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:16, 21 May 2026 | Updated: 20:25, 21 May 2026 A young boy who drowned in a river last summer was found trapped between two rocks, an inquest heard today. Khaled Basem Al Satouf, 12, had been playing in the waters of River Swale at Richmond Falls, North Yorkshire, on August 16 when he disappeared under the surface. The schoolboy was said to be 'messing around' when witnesses soon heard his panicked family screaming on the pebbly beach nearby.  Khaled was found stuck between two rocks 12ft underwater about six hours later after specialist search team as well as fire and rescue officers were deployed, an inquest was told. The assistant coroner for North Yorkshire, Alison Norton, confirmed that the youngster had died from drowning at Northallerton Coroner’s Court. Paul Norton, who witnessed the tragedy, reportedly told the court that there were many people in the river but only Khaled was 'splashing around' and 'having fun' in the bottom pool where he was 'having a good time'. He then said, per The Sun: 'He was in water up to his neck. I had no concerns for him. He was going under the water, and I thought he was just messing around.  'Two minutes later, I heard screams from further along the falls and towards the river. I turn around, and he’s no longer there.' Khaled was found stuck between two rocks 12ft underwater about six hours later after specialist search team as well as fire and rescue officers were deployed Another witness, a young girl who was swimming in the water at the same time, said she saw Khaled go under the water for a while towards the waterfall and then shouted that she thought he was drowning. She added that while he can swim he could not in that water. North Yorkshire Police at the time found there were no suspicious circumstances around his death.   The River Swale is considered a particularly fast rising river which can rise even further after heavy rain.  In 2017, a teenager passed away after getting into difficulty at the Wain Wath Waterfalls further along the River Swale near Keld. Dani Khan's body was found by a local who dived in to rescue him after he disappeared under the surface. The 19-year-old was airlifted to a nearby hospital but was later pronounced dead.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.