No vessel was involved in a tragic incident off Bournemouth beach that left two teenagers dead, a government agency has said.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will not be launching a formal investigation following the deaths of Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12.

Rescue teams were scrambled on May 31 and a total of 10 people were pulled from the water.

Police cordoned off a large area of beach to the east of the pier.

Today, a spokesperson for the MAIB said: “Having conducted a thorough preliminary assessment of the circumstances of this tragic accident the MAIB has decided that no formal investigation will be launched. “

When asked why, they added: “This was a truly tragic accident but our understanding of the circumstances is that it did not involve a vessel and therefore is not something the branch would investigate.”

As previously reported, BCP Council has put a halt to all boat operations from the pier “as a precaution".

Earlier this month, police seized the Dorset Belle as part of their investigations into what happened.

The pleasure boat, operated by Island Cruises Ltd, will no longer serve Bournemouth Pier.