AN inquest into the death of a 12-year-old schoolgirl who drowned in the River Irwell last year could be delayed by several months due to legal difficulties.

Shukri Yayhe-Abde’s body was pulled from the waterway, near Dunster Street in Bury, shortly before midnight on June 27, 2019 – five weeks before her 13th birthday.

Last week a hearing at Manchester Coroners’ Court was adjourned by Manchester North senior coroner, Joanne Kearsley, and remains part heard.

A spokesman for the coroners’ office told the Bury Times that it is likely that around two months may elapse before the case is heard again.

The inquest had been scheduled to take place over five days, between February 24 and 28, at Rochdale Coroners’ Court, The Old Police Station in Heywood, Manchester Town Hall, and Manchester Coroners’ Court.

However, evidence from several key witnesses is yet to be heard, meaning the court is forced to wait to find a new venue and date when all legal representatives and interest parties are available to attend.

Earlier in the inquest the court heard that Shukri had gone down to the river with four other children ­— known as childs one, two, three and four for legal reasons.

Once at the waterway Shukri and child one entered the river to play before the 12-year-old began to get into difficulties and disappeared under the water.

Her mother Zamzam Arab Ture told the court her daughter had never gone to a river before and had never been swimming.

Rescue efforts were waged by the children, anglers using the river, and the emergency services ­— but Shukri was not recovered alive.

Home office pathologist Prof Phillip Lumb, confirmed to the court that Shukri’s cause of death had been drowning.

Shukri was the eldest of Ms Ture's five children. The Somali family had moved to Bury in January 2017 from a refugee camp in Kenya.