A British Asian junior doctor who fought to save lives on the Covid frontline drowned while taking a dip in the sea, The Daily Mail reported.
The body of Thirushika Sathialingam, 26, was found in Margate Harbour, Kent, by coastguards in September. Her friends had raised the alarm when she failed to return home with them.
She was a doctor on a respiratory ward at The Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) during the UK's second coronavirus wave.
According to the report, a major search operation was launched, involving lifeboat crews, police, firefighters and a coastguard rescue helicopter.
The health worker, known to friends as Thiru, was last seen alive in the water at Margate Harbour, an inquest at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent, was told on Tuesday (7), The Mail report added.
Assistant coroner Joanne Andrews said the cause of her death was submersion in water, with alcohol intoxication being a contributory factor.
"Every parent thinks their child is special but she truly was, and it is only now that I am realising how much good advice she gave me and how wise she was. She always had time to listen to people, and enjoyed looking after her patients," her father, a retired doctor, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"During the second wave of Covid she was on a respiratory ward with people who had the virus and she would sit and talk to them, holding their hands to give them comfort. She was not afraid to double-check things with consultants if she felt something was not right and she was passionate about her work."
Sathialingam spent much of her childhood in Ilford, before moving to Kent with her family in 2011.
She attended Sir Roger Manwood's School before studying medicine at Riga Stradins University in Latvia, where she met her boyfriend Peter Speilbichler.
After graduating, the couple spent some time travelling before the coronavirus pandemic hit and she moved back to Kent to start working at the QEQM, where her brother Kaushaliyan is also a junior doctor.
He told The Mail: "She was a fantastic doctor. I don't think she realised how good she was, but it came naturally to her. She was able to think outside the box to get things done for her patients, and she loved that medicine was such a complex subject."
East Kent Hospitals' chief executive Susan Acott described the talented doctor's death as a 'huge loss' to the Trust.
Dr Prathibha Bandipalyam, director of medical education, told The Mail: "Thiru was an excellent doctor and a major source of support to her colleagues, particularly the new junior doctors who joined us in August. Her talent was obvious and she was dedicated to her work and to the people she cared for."
According to the report, the inquest was adjourned until February 2 when a full hearing will take place.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)