A British student nurse tragically died in Ghana after going for a midnight swim with friends while on a placement.
Millie Ann Gentry, 19, from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, was two weeks into a one month volunteer programme in the west African country when she drowned.
The tragedy happened on March 17 last year but the details have now been made public with the teen’s inquest opening this week.
Gentry was staying with Erin Byrnes, from Halifax, in Busua – a beach resort town in southern Ghana.
The coroners’ court heard that the two friends had decided to go for a late night dip with their friend Lewis Mallinson after drinking at the beach bar.
They defied a 10.30pm curfew to nip out for a swim at half past midnight but encountered strong waves.
“I laid on my back, screaming for help. I was so close to giving up,” she said.
After returning to the beach, both she and Mr. Mallinson managed to summon assistance in the search for Ms. Gentry. Despite their efforts, her body was discovered four hours later.
Mallinson recounted that numerous nearby villages rallied together to aid in the rescue mission. A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that she had sustained a head injury.
According to The Mirror, Ms. Gentry had a boyfriend named Elvis, and her placement in Ghana was described as the “trip of a lifetime” for her.
Busia Beach resort in Ghana
A Crowdfunding page has now been set up to support the Gentry family.
A statement on the site reads: “Mims was a beloved member of the Gomersal Primary School community as well as daughter to one of our much loved colleagues and friends.
“As a past pupil Millie will be remembered as a bright, smiley and caring individual.
“She was studying to be a children’s nurse at Bradford University and participating in a volunteer program in Ghana.
“She will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.”
The page, at the time of writing, had raised more than £4,000.