BuzzFeed News looks at the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of Sope Peters, Luke Pearce, and Euan Coulthard and explores what’s being done to prevent further lives being lost.
On Monday, Durham police confirmed that a body retrieved from the River Wear was that of 19-year-old student Euan Coulthard.
The second-year law student, who was last seen leaving a nightclub after celebrating a friend's 21st birthday, had been missing for eight days.
He was the third Durham student to be found dead in the river in the last 14 months.
All three students died following nights out drinking, and a high-profile petition calling for an improvement in safety measures in the picturesque city has now been backed by prime minister David Cameron.
BuzzFeed News spoke to the university, police, and local officials to discover what is being done to prevent another tragedy in Durham.
Durham Constabulary / Via Facebook: durhamconstabulary
– A night bus service in the city for helping students get home safe was scrapped not long before the first student went missing in 2013.
– Following the tragic events of the last 14 months and concerns raised by students, the student union now appears to be bringing the service back.
– Police officers are now visiting all the university's colleges to educate new students on sensible drinking and their personal safety.
– Durham's police commissioner and MP are hosting a meeting next week to look into ways in which the city can increase responsibility among nightclub owners and bar staff for their customers' wellbeing.
– The council is set to look into the availability of cheap alcohol in the city.
This is where Sope Peters, Luke Pearce, and Euan Coulthard were last seen and finally found:
Sopefoluwa (aka Sope) Peters:
1 = Last seen on CCTV just after midnight heading down steep steps off Elvet Bridge after being ejected from the Klute nightclub.
2 = Body found between Framwellgate Bridge and Prebends Bridge five weeks later.
Luke Pearce:
3 = Seen drinking with friends at the Jimmy Allen's bar on a Saturday night.
4 = Last seen walking between Baths Bridge and Durham rowing club around 1:30am.
5 = Body found near Baths Bridge, A690 side, a week later.
Euan Coulthard
6 = Last seen walking across Framwellgate Bridge after a night out at the Loveshack nightclub.
7 = Body found near the bridge eight days later.
Google / BuzzFeed
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, PhD student Marc Owen Jones said the three students' deaths had caused Durham to lose part of its innocence.
He didn't think anyone thought there was anything malicious or sinister linking the three deaths, but revealed that there were concerns over the fact that nothing had been done to improve river safety since the first tragedy.
Jones said the cancellation of the night bus service not long before the first death had caused a degree of frustration among some students.
While it's unlikely there was any direct link between the two issues, the president of Ustinov College's graduate common room said some people had suggested the removal of the service was indicative of the the lack of action in improving safety precautions in the city.
Durham Constabulary / Via Facebook: durhamconstabulary
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