Pierre Barnes: Post-mortem examination confirms drowning

A 12-year-old British boy who was found dead after going missing on a French island drowned, tests have confirmed.

Pierre Barnes, from Grantham in Lincolnshire, vanished on 27 October while cycling on Porquerolles.

His body was found in deep water on Thursday about a mile from where search teams had earlier found his bike and one of his shoes.

The French authorities said a post-mortem examination had also confirmed the death was accidental.

Pierre went missing a few hours after arriving on the Mediterranean island for a half-term holiday with his family.

The body was identified from photographs and labels on his clothes.

His father, Stephen Barnes, had said he believed his son died while trying to find shelter from a storm.

The family has said Pierre will be buried in the family tomb in a village on the outskirts of Paris.