According to Steven's dad, also named Steven, the backpacker could not swim.
The father-of-three, a bar tender from Weston Super Mere, said: ‘’Steven had a young brother and younger sister who absolutely adored him. They’re distraught, I’m distraught, his friends and work colleagues are. Everyone who knew him is devastated.
‘’How is someone supposed to come to terms with this? My son has just died, he was only 21. I can’t even process what has happened.
‘’We had lost contact for a number of years after me and his mother separated. But he came back into my life and we were close, like any father and son.
‘’He couldn’t swim. What on earth he was doing in a river I don’t know. Even on holiday in Tenerife he would only go in the shallow end.
‘’Who the hell let him go in the water? What was he doing in that situation and why did nobody stop him? These are answers we’ll never know. Right now I can't accept that he just drowned like that, as he couldn't even swim.''
Friend Rowan Steele who had been travelling with Steven told police Steven had used the inflatable rings - a popular activity in rivers in South East Asia - a number of times before and ‘’didn’t know why this happened this time.''Statistics: Posted by randolphgb — Fri Jul 14, 2017 1:26 pm
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