East London Coroner’s Court was told Kaliyah Yeabselet Coa, 11, entered the water whilst playing on a concrete slipway at Barge House Causeway in North Woolwich on March 31.
Her disappearance sparked a large-scale search which lasted two weeks until her body was tragically found in Maritime Quay, near Canary Wharf, on April 13.
However, it was not publicly confirmed that the body was Kaliyah until earlier this week.
Her preliminary cause of death has been given as “immersion”.
Opening an inquest on Friday, May 2, senior coroner Graeme Irvine said Kaliyah had been identified in part by dental records.
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Kaliyah’s parents,” he said. “I can’t imagine the grief that they are going through at the moment.”
He said he would like them to play an active role in the inquest, which would “likely” revolve around “whether or not any missed opportunities existed” to prevent her death.
“If the family have concerns regarding the death, I will need to hear about them and I will listen to them closely,” the coroner said.
“It is entirely possible that the persons responsible for the waterways and the slipway at which Kaliyah entered the water will be required to provide further information to inform this inquest.”
Mr Irvine said that after receiving Kaliyah’s case, he ordered a post-mortem examination by Professor Alan Bates at East Ham Public Mortuary.
“Professor Bates has indicated that there was no pathology evidence that he could point to that would suggest that Kaliyah’s death was caused by the action or inaction of any other person,” said the coroner.
Her body “did not show the characteristic signs of drowning”, Professor Bates found, instead ruling she died from “immersion”, which Mr Irvine described as “the effect of being immersed into cold water”.
Outlining what he described as a “tragic case”, Mr Irvine said the evidence he had seen so far suggested Kaliyah had been playing with friends on a concrete slipway.
“It would appear that the witness accounts suggest that Kaliyah’s entry into the water was as a result of trying to retrieve a lost shoe, but that will be something that will be examined later at an inquest,” he said.
Mr Irvine told the court he will need to know whether or not Kaliyah was able to swim.
He said he would also need to know “whether or not Kaliyah was being supervised by an adult”.
In a statement issued earlier this week, Kaliyah’s family said: “Our hearts are broken and our lives will never be the same. We were blessed to have Kaliyah, even if it was for such a short time. She will be missed so much. Kaliyah went to a birthday party and never returned home to her family.
“The family would like to thank all those who were involved in the search and recovery of Kaliyah.
“We sincerely hope that everyone will respect our wishes to be given the space and time to grieve as a family.”
Det Supt Scott Ware, who led the Met’s investigation, added: “Our specialist officers will continue to support Kaliyah’s family as they process this heart-breaking news.
“I echo her family’s request for privacy while they navigate the difficult road ahead, and urge the public to refrain from wholly inaccurate speculation both on and offline.”
Her final inquest was scheduled for November 11.
