British schoolboy, 17, drowns on Malawi school trip after vanishing while snorkelling

A 17-year-old London schoolboy has died after vanishing while snorkelling with classmates on a school trip to Lake Malawi. Eugene Enoch Kwon, a pupil at the £30,000-a-year Hampton School in London, disappeared on Tuesday during a camping trip at Cape Maclear. An immediate search was launched in Monkey Bay, where Kwon had been swimming with schoolmates. Divers found him underwater after an extensive search, according to Supt Patrick Mussa of the Malawi Police Service’s Eastern Region Police Headquarters. The teenager was rushed to hospital but died from suffocation due to drowning, police confirmed. Mussa expressed condolences to the bereaved family, adding that investigations into the incident are continuing. A spokesperson for Hampton School — a private boys’ school in Richmond upon Thames — confirmed the death, saying: “Our thoughts, love and deepest sympathies are with the pupil’s family and loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time. At present, our focus is supporting the pupil’s family and everyone affected within our school community.” The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the school community, as staff now grapple with the loss of a student on an overseas trip. Kwon’s family are understood to be receiving support from the school and authorities.