'Always smiling' schoolgirl, 15, who died in river tragedy was with her friends at the time
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA 15-year-old schoolgirl who tragically died after spending time with friends at a river drowned, an inquest has heard. Abbie Walton, also known as Habiba Sharafeldin, died on June 14 after being pulled from a river in Tameside.
The tragedy happened at the River Etherow near Hodge Lane, in Broadbottom. Abbie, who lived in the Hattersley area of Hyde, attended Copley Academy, with tributes pouring in for her after her death.
An inquest was opened at South Manchester Coroners' Court on Wednesday morning (July 5). A cause of death following a post-mortem was given as 'drowning' by coroner Alison Mutch with a full inquest set to be heard in December this year. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Police Coroners Officer, Simon Toft, told the court that Abbie was born in Egypt and confirmed that on the night she died she had been with friends at the river.
Following her death her sisters and brother paid a heartbreaking tribute to her. Abbie’s eldest sister Kylie said: "Abbie was always smiling and rarely upset.
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