Two bodies found in search for teen brothers who vanished off Lancashire coast

16 August 2020, 17:59

Two bodies have been found by the Coastguard and RNLI during the search for two missing teenage brothers, police said.

Muhammad Azhar Shabbir, 18, and Ali Athar Shabbir, 16, went missing off the Fylde coast, Lancashire.

Police were alerted after they went missing close to St Annes Pier in Lytham St Annes at about 6.55pm on Saturday.

Their 15-year-old cousin, also from Dewsbury, managed to swim to shore. The youngster, who was not named, remained in hospital on Sunday afternoon.

A major search and rescue operation was stood down earlier on Sunday.

A statement from Lancashire Police said: "Our HM Coastguard and RNLI colleagues searching for missing brothers Muhammad Azhar Shabbir, 18, and Ali Athar Shabbir, 16, from Dewsbury have sadly found two bodies.

"The discovery was made at just after 3.15pm this afternoon (Sunday, August 16) around a mile away from St Annes Pier, where they sadly got into difficulty in the water yesterday evening (Saturday, August 15).

"Whilst they have yet to be formally identified, they are believed to be Muhammad and Ali. Their family have been notified and are continuing to be supported by a specially trained officer.

"Our thoughts and condolences remain with them and their friends at this incredibly distressing time.

"Thanks again to our colleagues at HM Coastguard, the RNLI and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) for helping the search to find Muhammad and Ali, as well as everyone who sent kind words and offered to help the search."

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