Withernsea tragedy: Heartbreaking details on recovery of Grace Keeling’s body

Grace Keeling and her mum, Sarah, died when a wave swept the teenager into the sea – now details of her body being recovered after a two week search have emerged.

The fire service were unable to reach her at first and then faced a race against time to get to her, before high tide returned and threatened to wash her away.

But they managed to reach her on Friday and she was then touchingly carried from the beach by the Coastguards.

There were about 40 people from the emergency services on the scene and silence descended as they watched the coastguard carry her body away.

It took authorities two week to find the teenager’s body before she was carried out of the sea in silence ( 
Image:
Donna Clifford/Hull Live)

The fire service cut a hole in a fence to remove her body from the beach. A police officer later left flowers in her memory.

Her funeral is expected to held next month alongside her mum, who also died during the tragic incident.

Mark Ratcliffe also died in the tragedy when he tried to help ( 
Image:
Humberside Police)Police had previously said that, from trawling through CCTV, it was understood that Grace and a friend were on the steps near to the rocks when she was “believed to have fallen into the water after being swept by a wave”.

Inquests into Sarah Keeling, 45, and passer-by Mark’ Ratcliffe’s deaths, who both died trying to save the child, were opened and adjourned in Hull on Monday morning.

The young girls funeral will be held next month alongside her mum ( 
Image:
Charley Atkins / SWNS)

East Yorkshire area coroner Lorraine Harris told the hearing that Ms Keeling’s primary cause of death was drowning, contributed to by head and neck injuries, while Mr Ratcliffe, 67, died of drowning, with chest injuries listed as a contributory factor.