Raymi Saldaña Rojas had performed at the Jazz Cafe

A MOTHER whose son tragically drowned while on holiday with friends has told how she has been left searching for answers surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Raymi Saldaña Rojas, 14, a talented musician from Seven Sisters Road, drowned in the river IJ in Amsterdam last summer.

He was on a boat with a friend and their family, but Raymi’s parents say it remains unclear how he ended up in the water. Raymi was unable to swim.

Ahead of a coroner’s inquest into his death, his parents, Jeanette Rojas and Carlos Saldaña, are now asking for help to pay for legal representation at the hearing. They have been told that they need to raise £58,000 to cover the costs of potentially several days in court as their quest for answers continues.

Ms Rojas told the Tribune: “Maybe my son could have been rescued. We want to know what happened. We can’t think in our grief, we are just thinking ‘what happened?’”

On the fourth day of the holiday, Raymi’s mother received a phone call saying that there had been an accident.

Ms Rojas said: “It was the worst day in our lives.

“We didn’t receive much contact in the first two days of the holiday. I just thought they don’t have good wifi, and obviously they are on holiday. So when you see a missed call after not being in contact, your heart drops. You think ‘what is this?’”

Raymi with his parents Jeanette Rojas and Carlos Saldaña

Raymi’s parents travelled to Amsterdam the following day, where they were told by the police that their son’s death was not suspicious and that they had closed the investigation.

Ms Rojas said: “The police said: ‘If you want to open the investigation there, here, it’s up to you.’ We didn’t know how to speak Dutch, even English. We felt helpless.”

In December, a report detailing alleged failings from the local rescue services began circulating in the Dutch media. Despite its appearance in news stories, Raymi’s parents had not been told of the report’s existence.

Ms Rojas said: “Now we know in Amsterdam, they had a final report… that is completely shocking to us, because they had gaps in the communication since the emergency call to the safeguards.

“They said they were delayed half an hour to confirm that it’s an emergency call.

“We didn’t receive any contact from the Dutch police but the name of my son is there on the report. Why didn’t they contact us?”

According to NH Nieuws, the report by Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region identified serious shortcomings in the emergency coordination following the call for help.

These included that radio communication between rescue boats and the Coastguard kept dropping out, and that the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution failed to meet the 30-minute response standard.

Performing at Union Chapel in Islington

Ms Rojas said: “How is it possible? One beautiful life. He had everything. He had the world at his feet, now he’s not here. And life just continues, no one realises that my son is missed. It’s not fair.”

She added: “One day is a thousand days. It’s not real. I was thinking this week is half term. Normally, everyone is thinking of plans. Families, parents, children, young people thinking ‘oh, what are going to do in this break?’ We are not doing the things we are supposed to be doing. We can’t rest.”

Raymi was a student at William Ellis School in Parliament Hill and had performed countless times at prestigious music venues across London.

“Raymi means celebration and Willka [his second name] means sun,” his mother said.

“Celebration for the sun, because he was the sun in our lives.”

The teenager won multiple music scholar­ships, and became the youngest person to play at the Jazz Cafe when he performed there in the trio Sagrada Familia UK with his parents.

Ms Rojas said: “He was completely musical. He played flute, piano, he was a multi-instrumen­talist. It was incredible.

“Since he started to sit at the table, when he was six or seven months, he loved music, bumping on his high chair, rhythm. I didn’t stop performing during my pregnancy. I think he was full of music.”

A cherry tree was planted in his memory last year in the grounds of William Ellis boys’ school in Highgate Road.

Raymi could play several instruments including flute, guitar and piano

Headteacher Izzy Jones paid tribute at the time:  “Raymi was a cherished member of our school community and had many friends. He was liked and respected for his kindness, openness and support­iveness.

“Raymi was an exceptional musician, and playing music together regularly again has helped his friends celebrate Raymi.”

His parents hope that an inquest at the coroner’s court will give them some clarity into why and how their son ended up in the water and the response to the emergency and what steps were taken to save him.

Ms Rojas said: “It’s the pain, the parents’ pain, our grief, our terrible grief, but it’s not just us, my son is not here, he’s not here for his grief.

“There’s no one here representing his voice. He is not here for his dreams. He had his world, he had his goals. He was starting the GCSEs. He had his friends, his life, but now it’s all just disappeared.”

She added: “We are here, we have to be. I am the guardian of his memory. I can’t give the proper tribute for him, for his memory, I need to know what happened.”

The Tribune approached Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region for comment. We asked whether they accept the failings cited in the report and whether they wished to apologise to Raymi’s family.

Its statement said: “What happend on the July 28 is very tragic and sad.

“All the first responders involved did their utmost best to find and save the victim.

“Sadly, it was to no avail. The VrAA is in contact with the family through their legal representative.

“We also send that representative the report that pertains to the operational performance of our organisation and the collaboration with other emergency response organisations on the July 28.

“We have informed the family’s legal representative that they can contact us if they have any questions and/or requests.”

The family’s online fundraiser is at: www.crowdjustice.com/case/justice-for-raymi/