A teenager drowned as he tried to rescue his friend from rapid currents around a waterfall in Perthshire, an inquest has heard.

Ali Ahmed from east London had been on holiday with a group of friends and was swimming at the Falls of Bruar, near Blair Atholl, on July 13.

The 19-year-old, a part-time fast food worker from East Ham, tried to help a struggling friend before strong currents pulled him into a cave near the waterfall.

Others in the group then desperately tried to save Mr Ahmed before he disappeared into a deep pool inside the cave.

His friend, Zein Shivli Khalifa, told an inquest at Poplar Coroner's Court they were with a group of eight others on their first friends' holiday together when the incident happened.

Mr Khalifa, 19, said people were jumping into the water when they arrived at the popular swimming spot in the early afternoon.

He said: "A guy said it's not that deep but be careful of the current. He said stay away from the cave because there was an area three metres deep."

A group of friends including Mr Khalifa and Mr Ahmed jumped into the water, then got out and tried to convince another friend to do the same.

Mr Khalifa said: "It took a long time trying to convince our other friend to jump in, then he just ran and jumped.

"As soon as he jumped he went under. He swam back up and as soon as he swam up he realised the current was pushing him towards the cave and he started panicking."

Mr Khalifa was also in the water and described trying to help the friend.

He said: "I grabbed him but I couldn't swim because I was holding him and the current pushed us to the shallow end of the cave."

Mr Khalifa said he managed to help the friend to safety then realised Mr Ahmed had disappeared into the deep end of the cave.

He said: "I was swimming out of the cave, I was trying to swim out and our friends said: 'What's happened, where's Ali?'

"Ali thought both of us were drowning so he was trying to help us and I think the current pushed him into the cave or something. This is the point they were shouting, 'Ali is drowning'.

"Ali wasn't saying anything but his eyes were wide open, he was all the way at the end of the cave."

He added: "I went inside trying to help him, I grabbed on to him but he was not saying anything.

"When I came out I thought he might have been choking on water and that's why he wasn't speaking."

Mr Khalifa said he was unable to hold on to Mr Ahmed and a friend pulled him from the cave before Ali disappeared from view.

He said: "The guys at the top said we can't see him anymore, where did he go?"

A short time later emergency services arrived to try to rescue Mr Ahmed but said it was too dangerous to go into the cave.

Mr Khalifa said: "They said it was too dangerous to go into the water and we will have to wait until the next day for divers to come."

He added: "Ali had been a strong swimmer since he was a child. From a young age we would always go swimming."

The inquest heard Mr Ahmed's body was returned to London and identified by his sister, Regea Begum, on July 18.

Coroner Mary Hassell said: "All of the evidence points in the direction Ali was out swimming with his friends, having a good time and was pulled underwater by a current.

"In spite of very strenuous efforts of his friends to save him, which were very nearly successful, he succumbed to the cold and fatigue of swimming against the current and he was drowned as a consequence.

"I have no hesitation in saying that was an accident."

She gave the final conclusion Mr Ahmed's death was an accident.

The coroner told Mr Khalifa: "I think you were terribly brave going after your friend like that, and very nearly successful."

Mr Khalifa who first met Mr Ahmed in primary school, said he was "a good friend" who spent a lot of time caring for his mother.

He said: "His personality was about making sure if he was going to buy food and his friend didn't have money, he would rather his friend eat than he eat."