Tonibeth Purvis died trying to save friend Chloe Fowler from drowning in River Wear Tonibeth Purvis tried to rescue Chloe Fowler when she got into trouble Both girls were swept away in the River Wear in July this year Their bodies were later found by emergency crews 100 metres away Coroner has recorded a verdict of accidental death for both girls A teenager died in a river after jumping in to try and save her school friend who also drowned, an inquest has heard. Tonibeth Purvis, 15, was trying to rescue Chloe Fowler, 14, after she got into trouble in a stretch of the River Wear, in Fatfield, Washington, in July. But both girls were swept away and their bodies were found later by emergency crews. The inquest today heard the traumatic deaths of the two schoolgirls touched the whole community. Tragic: Tonibeth Purvis (left), 15, was trying to rescue Chloe Fowler (right), 14, after she got into trouble in a stretch of the River Wear, in Fatfield, Washington, in July Search: Dozens of emergency service workers were called to the scene, including specialist dive teams, the fire brigade, a helicopter and 40 police officers Miss Purvis, from Barmston, Washington, Tyne and Wear, was hailed a hero after diving in to try and save Miss Fowler, from Shiney Row. The inquest heard that, during the prolonged rescue attempt, various members of the public tried in vain to save the girls. An off-duty police officer dived into the water in a bid to rescue the girls while others who helped included two local fishermen, as well as some of the teenagers" friends. There were also dozens of emergency service workers at the scene, including specialist dive teams, the fire brigade, a helicopter and 40 police officers. Floral tributes: The inquest heard the traumatic deaths of the two schoolgirls touched the whole community Hearing: Chloe Fowler's family (left) and Charlene Bell (right image, on the left), the mother of Tonibeth Purvis, arrive at Sunderland Coroner's Court for the inquest into the teenagers' deaths Recording a verdict of accidental death for both girls, Coroner Derek Winter said: 'These events were traumatic and remain so. They touched the families and the whole community. Hunt: Emergency workers at the scene as the huge rescue operation was carried out at the River Wear Chloe jumped into the water and got into difficulty. Then Tonibeth in a valiant attempt to try and save her also got into difficulty. Both were overwhelmed by the river and drowned despite the efforts of friends and the rescue services. I am so very sad about your loss. Detective Inspector Mark Ord of Northumbria Police described the timeline of events. He said the initial report came in just before 3pm, but Tonibeth was not located until 8.49pm and then Chloe at 9.57pm. 'Both girls were found within 100 metres of where they were last seen,' he said. The river was in full flow and was a hazardous environment. It was six metres deep in the middle. We tried desperately to find the girls. The hearing at Sunderland Civic Centre heard that since the incident the local authority has agreed to conduct weekly checks along the river, which rises and falls quickly with the tide.