Hundreds of mourners attended the funerals of five friends, who drowned on a day trip to Camber Sands beach last month, in South-East London on Sunday.
Kenugen Saththiyanathan, Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan, Nitharsan Ravi, Inthushan Sriskantharaja and Gurushanth Srithavarajah, who were in their late teens and twenties, died on August 24 after encountering difficulty while swimming on the usually calm East-Sussex coast.
In a traditionally Hindu ceremony, taking place in Plumstead Common, mourners were allowed to pay their last respects to the young adults by placing petals in the open caskets which were taken to marquee tents for the service.
Speaking mostly in Tamil – the language of the community the boys came from, family, friends and MP for Eltham Clive Efford said a few words in front of the crowds.
Up to 3,000 were due at the service at Winn's Common Park which began at dawn. Brothers Kenugen Saththiyanathan known as Ken, and Kobikanthan Saththiyanathan were 18 and 22 when they died. Nitharsan Ravi was 22, Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23 and Gurushanth Srithavarajah was the eldest at 27.
Councillor Krishna Suresh, former mayor of Harrow, said what happened was 'a big tragedy for the Tamil community'.
A friend of the group, Sai Yoghananthan, told the BBC that the untimely deaths had hit the community hard.
'They were just five boys who were active in the community; they were part of football clubs, cricket clubs, and part of the volunteering at the temple as well.
'They were known by many many people. They had their own circle of friends, and their families are very close-knit. It has just touched all of our hearts.'
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Accident