Asian teen's death an accident: Coroner

THE DEATH of an Asian teenager nearly two years ago while swimming in a river in Cardiff was an accident, says an inquest finding.

The tragedy happened when Aryan Ghoniya (13) went for a swim with friends in the River Taff on June 21, 2022.

During an inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court on Tuesday (23), assistant coroner David Regan confirmed the cause of death as immersion in the water and there was no evidence of injury.

Earlier he read out the evidence from his friends, who claimed he was not a 'confident swimmer'. Regan concluded Aryan's death was an accident.

Emergency services were called to the River Taff after reports of a missing boy near Forest Farm Road in Whitchurch. The body was found following a search by the police, fire service, and the coastguard.

Regan also highlighted the dangers of children swimming in rivers with no adults present.

One of Aryan's friends said in a statement that Arya panicked because of the depth of the riverbed. He tried to help but failed.

The evidence provided by Janine Jones, who was walking her dog nearby, said she saw two boys and Aryan was clothed.

He was wary about the water, but his friend was encouraging him to go deeper. She said she was not alarmed as children often play in the river during summer.

Aryan, a pupil at Radyr Comprehensive School, was a bright student who was due to take his GCSE maths two years early.

He was active on social media and had a huge following on TikTok after posting a video naming 109 countries which gained more than a million hits. Another video showed him completing a Rubik's cube in 38 seconds.

In a statement, Aryan's family described him as "a kind, polite, mature boy who was top of his class sets at school" and was devastated by his tragic death.

His parents, Jitendra and Hina said, "Aryan was our 'Little Professor', brilliant at Maths, an all-rounder academically. He was very charming and caring boy with warm personality and was loved by all who knew him. There will never be a day when we will not miss him, and he will remain in our hearts forever."

They urged other parents to explain to their children the dangers of playing in rivers.