Teenager drowns off Shek O beach, second missing
Police and firemen were searching for the missing body of a 16-year-old boy in the water off Shek O beach early Monday evening after recovering the body of a 15-year-old boy in the afternoon and rescuing a 16-year-old girl from the ocean in the morning.
The search was suspended at 8pm because of the darkness, but authorities said they would keep monitoring the waters. The operation will resume at first light on Tuesday.
The three were part of a group of youngsters who spent the night on the beach celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. They began playing near the water’s edge early on Monday morning, even though a red flag had been hoisted to warn beach-goers about high waves.
The three teens were swept away by waves, and others immediately sought help from people nearby. It was so early that lifeguards had not gone on duty at the popular beach.
People on the beach managed to rescue the girl while others called police for help.
A helicopter from the government flying services, frogmen and marine police officers were deployed to search for her two friends male friends.
The 15-year-old's body was found five metres underwater near a diving raft , said a fireman at the scene.
"They were playing by the seaside when the waves were big,” said a man who witnessed the incident. “But they were not familiar with the nature of the waters here, and they were physically unfit since they didn’t sleep all night.”
“No one could save [the others],” he said. “Even the lifeguards had not started work so early in the morning.”
Anxious family members and friends of the two boys arrived and helped police with their investigation.
