A 15-year-old boy has tragically died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a lake at Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham, south-east London.
Emergency services were called at approximately 15:00 BST on Friday after reports that the teenager had gone missing in the water. Specialist diving teams from the emergency services, including the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade, were dispatched to the scene.
The boy’s body was recovered from the lake at around 22:40 BST. He was taken to hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead. His family has been informed of the devastating news.
The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as an “unexpected death,” but it is not believed to be suspicious. Authorities initially reported the boy’s age as 16 but later confirmed he was 15.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Lewisham Council stated that while Beckenham Place Park has reopened to the public, the lake itself will remain closed with security measures in place “until further notice.” The council extended its “deepest condolences” to the boy’s family and friends and confirmed that it is cooperating fully with the ongoing police investigation.
This tragedy comes just days after another heartbreaking incident involving 11-year-old Kaliyah Coa, who went missing in the River Thames on Monday. A recovery mission remains in progress to locate her.