Sisters Drown in Welsh National Park After Paddling Fully Clothed
Two sisters have tragically drowned after paddling fully clothed at a scenic spot in Eryri (Snowdonia) national park in Wales, as revealed during a recent inquest. Hajra Zahid, aged 29, and her younger sibling Haleema Zahid, 25, were found in pools along the Watkin Path, a route leading to the summit of Snowdon mountain.
Details of the Incident
The sisters, along with three male friends, visited the picturesque area in the Nant Gwynant region of Gwynedd on June 11, 2025. All five were students at the University of Chester. For privacy and religious reasons, the group separated, with Hajra and Haleema, who could not swim, heading upstream on the Afon Cwm Llan river to a pool.
When the men later called out for the sisters, originally from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, they received no response. Upon reaching the pools, they discovered the sisters' shoes and personal belongings left at the riverside. Hajra, a married mother of two, was found floating face down in her red dress. The friends managed to pull her unconscious body onto the riverbank but were unable to locate Haleema.
Emergency Response and Inquest Findings
Emergency services were promptly alerted, and two members of the Llanberis mountain rescue team retrieved Haleema from deep water near a waterfall. She was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt. Sadly, both women were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
Sarah Riley, the assistant coroner for north-west Wales, concluded that the sisters had intended only to paddle in the water. "Having considered the evidence that neither could swim and that they were fully clothed, I am satisfied that neither sister went to swim or enter parts of the pool that would put them out of their depths in the water," she stated.
Riley suggested that one possibility was that one or both sisters had fallen from an "exceptionally slippy" slab of rock at the edge of the pools. Rescuers from the mountain team also slipped on the same rock during the recovery operation. The coroner ruled their deaths as accidental, attributing them to drowning after they were unable to swim to safety.
Condolences and Safety Warning
In her closing remarks, Riley extended her sincere condolences to the friends and family of the sisters, describing the case as "an extremely tragic" event. She also urged caution to the public regarding the dangers of entering such natural pools, emphasizing the risks involved.
The Zahid sisters, originally from Rawalpindi in northern Pakistan, had moved to the UK in January 2025 to pursue a master's degree in international business. In a statement read at the inquest, Hajra's husband, Hessham Minhas, remembered her as a determined and ambitious woman who was central to family life and dreamed of building a better future through education.
