Family tragedy as teen drowns while mother remains in COVID coma

The 18-year-old who recently got married drowned last week while swimming at River Wharfe, Linton Falls.

Muhammed Bilal Zeb's funeral was held on Thursday, August 6 nearly a week after he drowned at Linton Falls, near Grassington. Emergency services confirmed the incident that took place on Friday, July 31. Since the teenager's death, it was revealed that he got married just weeks before the tragedy. Posts on social media also revealed that the Muhammed's mother is a COVID-19 patient and is currently in a coma.

As the temperature soared above 30 degrees Celsius, the 18-year-old Bradford, West Yorkshire resident went for a swim at the popular spot. While swimming in the River Wharfe, Muhammed got into difficulty. Other visitors to the river spotted the teen struggling in the water. Members of the public helped drag him to the shore.

Emergency services were notified of the incident around 7:40 pm. Police Community Support Officers arrived at the scene at 7:55 pm and started administering CPR. Yorkshire Ambulance paramedics arrived shortly after and took over the task of providing medical attention to Muhammed. Before the emergency services arrived, members of the public tried to revive the unresponsive teen.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson stated that despite the efforts of the emergency services, Muhammed did not recover. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics.

Tributes for the teen were shared on social media. His funeral took place yesterday in the absence of his mother. According to The Daily Mail, a social media post urged people to pray for Muhammed's mother who is admitted to a hospital in Manchester. The post claims that the woman has been in the intensive care unit for three weeks. As she is in a coma, she has no idea that her son has passed away.

The post also pointed out that Muhammed got married only five weeks before the tragedy.

An Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association spokesperson said that North Yorkshire Police, Yorkshire Ambulance Service and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service responded to the incident. 14 emergency service personnel worked for over two and a half hours to try and revive Muhammed.

Following the teen's death, the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson pointed out that the department had issued a warning to visitors. They urged visitors to follow safety advice when entering the water.