'Shattered' family of two sisters who drowned in Snowdonia mountain pool call for clarity over 'conflicting' accounts of their deaths
A family 'shattered' by the deaths of two sisters who drowned at a mountain pool have called for clarity over the 'conflicting' accounts of their deaths.
Mother-of-two Hajra Zahid, 29, and younger sister Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water after a 'challenging' rescue attempt on a notorious path up Snowdon.
The pair had travelled 70 miles to the mountain range to visit the waterfall pools with university friends before the tragedy struck, an inquest opening heard.
The sisters had only moved to the UK four months ago to begin masters degrees in International Business at the University of Chester and had been living in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Their family have been left heartbroken amid claims they have received 'conflicting' accounts over how the women came to their deaths, reports from Pakistan said.
The account given that one sister died trying to save the other does not add up with where the bodies of the two women were found - roughly 10 minutes apart - the family claimed.
'The family is shattered,' a relative told Geo News.
'The police says one sister drowned and the other drowned while trying to save her but the body of one sister was found floating on the surface and the other sister's body was found ten minutes away.
'The witnesses say both entered the water together. The police have not informed us of anything and are not helping the family.'
The women's bodies have been repatriated back to Pakistan.
Coroner Sarah Riley said the women had travelled to the pools at Snowdon's notorious Watkin Path with university friends.
The hearing in Caernarfon was told pathologist Dr Zain Mehdi carried out post mortem examinations and has the provisional cause of death for both sisters as drowning.
Ms Riley said: 'They have entered the water and sadly both died as a result of drowning.'
She said Hajra was declared dead at 10.48pm and Haleema was declared dead at 10.49pm.
'Investigations continue into how they came by their deaths.'
She added: 'I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends and all who knew and loved them.'
The sisters were originally from Rawalpindi in Pakistan but moved to the UK as students at the University of Chester's business school where they were taking on masters degrees in international business.
Dr Bilal Saeed previously worked with Haleema at a telecommunications company in Islamabad, and said she was 'an exceptionally compassionate, hardworking and kind individual'.
He said that she had 'touched the lives of many with her warmth, professionalism and unwavering dedication' before leaving her home country to pursue a masters degree in the UK.
Another friend described her as an 'amazing lady, very lively and energetic, someone you would want in your life'.
University vice chancellor Prof Eunice Simmons said: 'The University of Chester community is in mourning for the tragic loss.
'They touched the lives of many here at Chester - their friends, the cohort on their course and the staff who taught them - and they will be deeply missed.'
Chair of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, Jurgen Dissmann said: 'On behalf of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the two women who sadly lost their lives.
'This was a complex and difficult callout for the team.'
Social media has been blamed for a surge of inexperienced walkers to Snowdonia after four out of five recent deaths in the recent fatalities were women.
The pools where the Hajra and Haleema died had been rated one of the best places in Britain to inspire 'Insta envy' and awash with selfie-takers from miles away.
Rescue teams have previously said a rise in call outs to the mountains known as 'Britain's most dangerous peaks' was down to 'trending social media posts' on Instagram and TikTok.
And the latest tragedy means at least five young people have died in the Snowdonia mountain range this year.
Social media influencer Maria Eftimova, 28, travelled from Greater Manchester to climb Tryfan but fell 65ft when she lost her grip on February 22.
Dr Charlotte Crook, 30, of Birmingham slipped to her death on Glyder Fach on February 16.
Medical student John Aravinth, 20 of Horsham, West Sussex, fell on Snowdon after getting lost on May 26.
The Yr Wyddfa range has upwards of 750,000 visitors a year. It averages eight deaths annually - but five already this year.
A BBC Countryfile guide said: 'While many choose to take the mountain railway most of the way, plenty choose to make the fairly substantial hike - many of whom may not be regular hikers and may not be armed with the right kit or sufficient food.'
It was used by Sir Edmund Hillary and his team as a training ground for their successful Everest climb in 1953.
Snowdon attracts more than 600,000 walkers, climbers and tourists each year with a series of walking trails and a train line leading to the 3,560ft summit.
The eight-mile long Watkin Path, where the tragedy happened, is described as 'one of the steepest and more challenging routes up Snowdon'.
It takes an estimated four to seven hours to complete - with a dip in the water a must-do for many walkers.
However the route is said to pass along 'a series of crystal-blue waterfalls before it quickly ramps up in difficulty after passing Gladstone Rock.
The pools have been described as 'quite possibly the most beautiful wild swimming spot in the whole National Park.'
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Gibson of North Wales Police said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families and friends of both women.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man who sent racist social media message to footballer banned from all games
A man who sent a 'vile and disgusting' racist message to a professional footballer on social media has been banned from attending any matches for three years, police said. Harry Dunbar, 20, from Fareham, Hampshire, sent racial slurs via Instagram to Christopher Wreh, following an FA Cup match between Tamworth and Tottenham Hotspur on January 12. When interviewed by police, Dunbar admitted sending the message because he had lost a bet, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said. Police said Wreh had come on as a substitute for Tamworth in the game. When he later checked his Instagram, he found he had received a message from an account he did not know called 'Dunztagram'. Shocked, he posted a screenshot of the message including the username and then shared it on his social media. 'After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram,' he wrote in the post. 'Nevertheless, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal.' This post was viewed more than 1.7 million times, and Wreh was contacted and sent personal messages by others who identified the account holder as Dunbar, who was living in Hampshire at the time. Wreh shared this with the dedicated football officer (DFO) for Tamworth at Staffordshire Police, who then passed this on to the UK Football Policing Unit and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary's dedicated Football Unit. Dunbar, in Whiteley, was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated malicious communications and his phone was seized. Although the Instagram account had been removed, it was identified that he was the owner of the 'Dunztagram' account'. In interview he then admitted sending the message because he had lost a bet. Dunbar was sentenced at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, where he was handed a three-year football banning order, a 12-month community order of 200 hours unpaid work, and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Superintendent Adrian Hall, head of the operations unit for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: 'Just because Christopher Wreh was a footballer, Dunbar decided he had the right to send him a tirade of racist insults. 'Nobody should ever be subjected to such vile and disgusting abuse, regardless of what they do for a living. 'I am absolutely appalled by the racist language used by Dunbar, but immensely thankful to Christopher Wreh for his bravery in standing up to this horrible abuse and assisting the police investigation. 'Thanks to Christopher, this man will not have the privilege of going to football matches and that is an important result from this case, as racism doesn't belong in football stadiums or anywhere else in society.' The Football Banning Order means Dunbar, of John Bunyan Close, is banned from every football ground in the country and unable to travel abroad when international games are happening for a period of three years.
BreakingNews.ie
28 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Explained: What is Tattle Life? Why was the operator's identity revealed?
Website Tattle Life has been making headlines lately due to a high-profile court case in the North of Ireland. But what is the website? Why is it in the news? And why was the identity of the suspected operator revealed? Advertisement What is Tattle Life? Tattle Life is a gossip forum on which threads are started relating to a specific person. The threads often involve a public figure or celebrity, but also well-known community leaders. The website provides a platform for anonymous accounts to share their opinions on the person. Why is it in the news? Recently, there was a landmark legal victory secured against operator of Tattle Life. Advertisement Last week, the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland granted an application by an Irish couple to lift reporting restrictions and name the defendants in their successful defamation and harassment case against the suspected operator of Tattle Life, Sebastian Bond, after a two-year legal battle. The ruling was made in favour of Neil and Donna Sands who successfully claimed they had been subject to a campaign of harassment, invasion of privacy, defamation, and breach of data rights on the Tattle Life website, which attracts up to 12 million visitors monthly, mostly in the UK. Businesspeople Neil and Donna Sands were originally awarded £300,000 (€350,000) damages against the operators of Tattle Life in late 2023. On the website, Mr Justice McAlinden said: 'This is peddling untruths for profit. A site built to monetise people's misery." Advertisement Sebastian Bond After the ruling, the owners of Tattle Life can now legally be identified as UK national Sebastian Bond, who also uses the alias Bastian Durward, along with Yuzu Zest Limited (a UK registered company) and Kumquat Tree Limited (registered in Hong Kong). Sebastian Bond is known on the internet as a vegan cooking influencer and author of the book 'Nest and Glow'. The Nest and Glow Instagram account has 135,ooo followers. Neil and Donna Sands said they were motivated to undertake the action not just on their own behalf but for all those impacted by the site over the years. In making his award, Mr Justice McAlinden noted: 'A day of reckoning will come for those behind Tattle Life and for those individuals who posted on Tattle Life. Advertisement 'To hasten that day of reckoning, it is appropriate that the court makes an award of damages to each plaintiff in this case. 'It would be remiss of the court to award costs on any other basis than indemnity. And on the defendant's business model, he said: 'This is clearly a case of peddling untruths for profit. 'It is the exercise of extreme cynicism — the calculated exercise of extreme cynicism — which in reality constitutes behaviour solely aimed at making profit out of people's misery. Advertisement 'People facilitating this are making money out of it… protecting their income streams by protecting the identity of the individual posters.' Why did Neil and Donna Sands take it to court? Neil Sands first wrote to the website's operators in February 2021, asking them to remove the defamatory thread or face legal action. They then formally initiated proceedings in June 2023. The couple was subject to defamatory and harassing commentary over a 45-page thread that was only finally removed in May 2025. In December 2023, the High Court in the North granted the £300,000 damages award and ordered that legal costs be paid on an indemnity basis, with further costs and third-party compliance expenses raising the total to be injuncted to £1.8 million. The 'cessation' figure - the amount payable by the defendants to lift the freezing orders - now stands at £1,077,173.00. This is understood to be the largest damages award for defamation in Northern Ireland's legal history and includes extensive freezing orders against the identified defendants and their corporate interests, now subject to continuing enforcement and disclosure proceedings. Neil Sands said: 'We undertook this case not just for ourselves but for the many people who have suffered serious personal and professional harm through anonymous online attacks on this and other websites. 'We believe in free speech, but not consequence-free speech - particularly where it is intended to, and succeeds in, causing real-world damage to people's lives, livelihoods and mental health. "We were in the fortunate position to be able to take the fight to these faceless operators, and it took a lot of time, effort and expense. "Along the way we heard many stories from those damaged by the scurrilous commentary on the website and we are glad to be finally able to shine a light into this dark corner of the internet. What we have established today is that the internet is not an anonymous place."
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Rayner's secret Islamophobia talks ‘risk new grooming gang cover-up'
Angela Rayner is accused of wanting to secretly drive through a definition of Islamophobia that could make it harder to discuss grooming gangs. The Deputy Prime Minister has appointed a working group to come up with a definition to be used across government. It is chaired by Dominic Grieve, the former Tory Cabinet minister, who has praised a 2019 study that called the discussion of 'grooming gangs' an example of 'anti-Muslim racism'. However, Claire Coutinho, a Conservative frontbencher, told The Telegraph she was concerned the process could be influenced by 'activists who have promoted extreme definitions of Islamophobia'. She has written to Ms Rayner accusing her of having the work carried out in secret, without the public being able to offer their views during a consultation period. And she pointed out that a ' culture of secrecy around matters relating to race and religion ' was a key factor enabling 'gangs of men to groom, rape, and torture young girls with impunity'. Critics have warned that some proposed definitions of Islamophobia would make it impossible for people to raise concerns about Asian grooming gangs. It comes after a report by Baroness Louise Casey found that hundreds of girls had suffered unimaginable sexual abuse, in part because some in authority had not tackled the issue out of fear of appearing racist. Ms Coutinho, the shadow minister for equalities, said was concerned the process would 'stifle free speech', and 'almost certainly would have prevented people from speaking out about the shocking abuse of young girls, disproportionately perpetrated by Pakistani Muslim men '. She told The Telegraph: 'The Casey report was crystal clear. For years, people were too scared to tell the truth about the rape and torture of children because they were scared of being called racist. 'Yet Labour is doubling down – pushing a secretive process including the voices of activists who have promoted extreme definitions of Islamophobia that would prevent people discussing genuine concerns around extremism and integration. 'Freedom of speech is not an optional extra in Britain. Angela Rayner must allow the general public to have their say on the definition of Islamophobia and make sure that no religions, belief systems, or people who hold a certain faith are beyond criticism.' The 2019 all-party parliamentary study on Islamophobia praised by Mr Grieve said: 'The recourse to the notion of free speech and a supposed right to criticise Islam results in nothing more than another subtle form of anti-Muslim racism, whereby the criticism humiliates, marginalises, and stigmatises Muslims. One real-life example of this concerns the issue of 'grooming gangs'.' Mr Grieve described the report at the time as 'well-researched' and 'an important contribution to the debate'. However, it was condemned by Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister at the time, although the Labour Party adopted the definition and the examples referenced in the report. The working group includes Baroness Shaista Gohir, who in 2013 wrote a report arguing that the 'media coverage being given to British Pakistani offenders' was 'disproportionate', and that this was helping to 'fuel racism and Islamophobia'. She wrote: 'Right-wing populist groups have used this issue to fuel racism and Islamophobia, ignoring evidence that sexual exploitation occurs in every community and that the majority of offenders are white.' Another member, Akeela Ahmed, has called for the government to engage with the Muslim Council of Britain, despite alleged links to extremism. The new working group recently announced that although certain groups would be invited to respond to a consultation on any definition, the public would not be asked to do so. In her letter, Ms Coutinho said: 'This is unacceptable given the wide-ranging and serious implications that the definition will have on freedom of speech.' When the group comes up with its decision, it will be sent to Ms Rayner to sign off. The terms of reference state that the recommendations of the working group will not be published. Ms Coutinho continued: 'Surely in this, of all policy areas, the public deserve full transparency. 'A culture of secrecy around matters relating to race and religion – and self-censorship for fear of causing offence – was a key factor in what enabled gangs of men to groom, rape, and torture young girls with impunity. 'The Casey report has said, in no uncertain terms, that many examples were found of organisations avoiding the discussion of grooming gangs altogether 'for fear of appearing racist, raising community tensions or causing community cohesion problems'. 'For you to continue this work in secrecy, and without inviting views from the general public or wider society, would demonstrate that the Government has clearly not learnt the necessary lessons of the Casey report and the importance of transparency in maintaining public trust.' Those invited to take part in the consultation are asked for views on: what terminology to use, the need for a definition, whether racism should be a component of any new definition, what should be included within a definition, and examples of anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia. The warnings were backed by the Policy Exchange think tank, which claimed an official definition of Islamophobia could shut down vital debate on grooming gangs. The report urged the Government to suspend Mr Grieve's working group with immediate effect, pending the conclusion of the national inquiry into grooming gangs in three years' time. Sir John Jenkins, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and co-author of the report, said any official definition of Islamophobia would 'almost certainly turbocharge ' cancel culture '' and would 'be an undeniable act of two-tier policy, creating special status and protection for members of one faith alone'. A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'We are absolutely committed to defending freedom of speech, and any proposed definition must be compatible with the right to freedom of speech and expression.
