 |
| Sea off Peng Chau, where the boy drowned Friday night |
The Philippine Consulate General says the police in Hong Kong have found no indication of foul play in the death of a 17-year-old Filipino boy who fell into the sea off Peng Chau on Friday evening.
According to the Consulate’s statement posted on
Facebook, “the Hong Kong Police see no suspicious circumstances surrounding the
death at this point in time.”
The statement is an apparent attempt to quell various speculations
on the boy’s death, including suggestions that it may not have been caused by
an accident.
Previous reports have indicated the boy fell off Chau
Tsai Bridge on the island where he lived, while he was trying to walk on its
steel railings. He did not know how to swim.
A friend who was apparently with him at the time immediately called for help, and rescuers spent about two hours looking for the boy.
He was found unconscious at about 9pm and was flown by helicopter to the Pamela Youde
Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan where he was declared dead shortly
afterwards.
The Consulate said it has received a police notification
on the tragic incident. Close friends of the boy’s family have also reached out
to the Consulate, which assured them of help in handling the remains of the
deceased.
“The Consulate General likewise extends its deepest
condolences and prayers to the bereaved family and requests the public to
respect their privacy at this difficult time and refrain from spreading
baseless speculations about the child’s death,”said the statement.
A number of people who knew the boy and his family described
the deceased as happy and fun-loving, and was not in any problematic situation
at the time of his death.
