Sisters drown in pools on popular Snowdonia route, inquest told
18 June 2025, 18:39
Sisters Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, drowned in pools while hiking in Wales, an inquest has heard.
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The two women were pulled from pools on the Watkin Path - one of the six main routes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, on June 11.
North Wales Police said officers were called to the scene in Eryri National Park, or Snowdonia, at 9.31pm after they received a report that a woman had been pulled from the water, and another was in the pools.
Both sisters were pronounced dead at the scene before 11pm.
They were born in Pakistan but lived in Maltsby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
The assistant coroner for north-west Wales, Sarah Riley, said the sisters "sadly both died as a result of drowning".
The series of cascades and plunge pools on Afon Cwm Llan are popular social media as a scenic spot for wild swimming.
Inquests into their deaths were opened at the Dafydd Orwig Chamber in Caernarfon on Wednesday.
"Investigations continue in terms of how they came by their death and the inquest is therefore adjourned to allow for completion of those investigations," she said, adding that she offered her condolences to the sisters' family and friends.
The siblings "had travelled to the Nant Gwynant area with friends from university", the coroner said.
A friend later identified the University of Chester students.
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 on their course and the staff who taught them - and they will be deeply missed."
