A shocking video of a teenager drowning in a Nottinghamshire lake has been shared widely on social media, prompting his grieving family to plead for its removal as they described the footage as causing “a lot of harm” to those who loved him.
Panashe Muchenje, 19, died after getting into difficulty in Balderton Lake near Newark on Thursday, 28 May, while he was with two friends on a very hot day. The clip, which has circulated on platforms including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) as well as in Zimbabwean news media, appears to show the teenager lowering himself into the water before struggling. His family have asked people to stop sharing the video and to stop speculating about his death, which they said had “added insult to injury”.
Family’s distress over the viral footage
Maxwell Muchenje, 56, Panashe’s nephew, told reporters that the family believed the death was a “misadventure” and that no one was to blame. He said Panashe was “not a good swimmer” but had “basic” skills. One of the friends at the lake tried to help him, but the depth and nature of the water made rescue difficult.
“The rumours and speculation that has been on the internet has been very devastating for the family, especially his parents and the other boy he was with at the lake,” Maxwell Muchenje said. “He has been a victim of vile words suggesting he is to blame. If there was anything untoward, we would’ve heard about it by now.”
He added: “The video is causing a lot of harm to the people that loved Panashe. Our biggest appeal is for people to kindly be sensitive and have some sense of humanity and pull down any videos of the terrible incident, stop sharing them and report them.”
Emergency services including Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service attended the scene. Panashe was in the water for about 22 minutes before he was recovered then treated by paramedics and taken to hospital. The police confirmed his death on Saturday, 30 May. A file is being prepared for the coroner, and the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Background of the teenager
Panashe was originally from Zimbabwe and had moved to the UK with his family about three years ago. He lived in Hucknall, Nottingham, with his parents and two sisters. He was a student at Nottingham College, where he had recently completed his engineering studies, and was in the process of applying to join the Royal Air Force. Nottingham College launched a Defence and Military Pathway in January 2026 for students starting in September, designed to equip them with skills for careers in the armed forces, including the RAF.
Maxwell Muchenje described Panashe as “a very energetic person, very loving” and said his church community loved him deeply. “He did a lot within the church and he was friendly,” he added. “For us it was a tragic event.” The family are pastors in the AFM Church.
His death was one of several water-related fatalities during a period of hot weather; Panashe was reported to be the 14th or 15th person to die in such incidents during the heatwave. Authorities have repeatedly warned about the dangers of open water, noting that water temperatures can be far colder than they appear, leading to cold water shock, and that depth and submerged hazards are often unknown. They advise the public to call 999 and ask for the fire service rather than attempting rescues.
Councillor calls on social media companies to act
Nottinghamshire County Councillor for Balderton, Johno Lee, described the circulation of the video as “a complete disgrace”. In a statement, the Conservative councillor — a former soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, first elected in May 2021 — said: “A family has suffered the unimaginable loss of a child. The thought that grieving relatives and loved ones could be confronted with footage of those final moments appearing online is utterly unacceptable.”
“I am calling on social media companies to get a grip of this situation and remove any such footage immediately. These platforms have both the ability and the responsibility to act quickly when harmful content is being shared,” he added.
Balderton Lake has previously been the subject of safety discussions. In July 2023, Balderton Parish Council voted to terminate the YMCA’s licence for supervised kayaking and canoeing on the lake, following a petition signed by nearly 4,000 residents and protests by the Save Wildlife and Nature Group (SWAN). Concerns raised included water safety, well-being and wildlife protection. A risk assessment from November 2023 required volunteers working near water to have a partner, staff to wear life jackets, life rings to be inspected weekly, and stated: “No volunteers to enter the lake.”
Panashe Muchenje’s funeral is due to be held on 9 June.
