Sisters drowned in pool at beauty spot after travelling to Snowdonia with friends, inquest hears

Two sisters drowned in pools on Yr Wyddfa mountain, an inquest heard today.

Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, travelled to North Wales with friends from university on June 11.

They were pulled from pools on the Watkin Path, which leds to the summit of the mountain, which was renamed from Snowdon in 2022.

Pools along the path, which include waterfalls and rocky areas, are popular spots for wild swimming, with posts on social media regularly showing them to be scenic and a ‘paradise’.

Inquests into the deaths of the two women were opened today.

Both lived in Maltsby, Rotherham, in south Yorkshire, having moved from Pakistan.

They were both students at Chester Business School on the Master’s in International Business course.

Assistant coroner for north-west Wales Sarah Riley said: ‘Hajra and Haleema had travelled to the Nant Gwynant area with friends from university.

‘They have entered the water and sadly both died as a result of drowning.’

The students were identified by a friend, the inquest heard.

Ms Riley added: ‘Investigations continue in terms of how they came by their death and the inquest is therefore adjourned to allow for completion of those investigations.

‘I offer my sincere condolences to their family, friends and all who knew and loved them.’

The hearing, held at the Dafydd Orwig Chamber in Caernarfon, was told both women were pronounced dead shortly before 11pm on June 11.

Dr Bilal Saeed, a former colleague of Haleema Zahid at a telecommunications company in Islamabad, told the BBC she was ‘an exceptionally compassionate, hardworking and kind individual’ who had ‘touched the lives of many with her warmth, professionalism and unwavering dedication’.

He added she had left the company for higher education in the UK.

Another former colleague Sheharyar Shahnawaz told the broadcaster she had become the pillar of her family after her father died last year, and she was ‘really excited for this new chapter’ moving abroad.

Last week, a spokesman for North Wales Police said officers were called to Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, at about 9.30pm after a report that one woman had been pulled from the water and another was said to be in the pools.

The second woman was pulled from the water but was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Llanberis mountain rescue team was sent to the area along with an air ambulance and a coastguard helicopter.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Chester, Professor Eunice Simmons said: ‘The University of Chester community is in mourning for the tragic loss of Haleema Zahid and Hajra Zahid and our heartfelt sympathies are with their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time.

‘Haleema and Hajra had joined Chester Business School earlier this year on the Master’s in International Business course.

‘They touched the lives of many here at Chester – their friends, the cohort of their course and the staff who taught them – and they will be deeply missed.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.