A 17-year-old British student has died after drowning while on a school trip in Malawi. The pupil, Eugene Enoch Kwon, was snorkeling with classmates in Lake Malawi at Cape Maclear on Tuesday when he went missing.
Divers located Kwon underwater and he was transported to Monkey Bay Community Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, and authorities confirmed the cause of death was suffocation due to drowning. Kwon was a student at Hampton School, a private boys' school in London with annual fees of approximately £30,000.
A spokesperson for Hampton School confirmed the student's death and stated that the school's focus is on supporting the family and the affected school community. "Our thoughts, love and deepest sympathies are with the pupil's family and loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time," the spokesperson said.
Malawi police superintendent Patrick Mussa confirmed that an immediate search operation was launched after the boy was reported missing. "After an extensive search, divers located him underwater," Mussa stated.
This incident follows another recent tragedy involving a London pupil on a school trip. Umar Dumbuya died during a Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Powys, Wales, after entering the River Wye and being found unresponsive by emergency services. His family described him as a kind and caring young man and expressed their heartbreak at his loss.