Police searching for a teenager who went missing after his kayak capsized in a waterway in Norfolk say they have found a body.
A member of the public called emergency services after the 18-year-old disappeared underwater at around 3.49pm on Sunday, Norfolk Police said.
The boy had been using an inflatable kayak on the Middle Level Main Drain in Wiggenhall St Germans, around four miles south of King’s Lynn, the force said.
The kayak, initially reported as a canoe, was recovered on the day he went missing.
Police said the teenager’s body was found on Wednesday in the water at Middle Level Main Drain – a waterway created in the 17th century to drain parts of the Fens.
“While formal identification is yet to take place, the family of the missing teenager have been informed and are receiving support,” Norfolk Police said in a statement.
The death is currently being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious. A file will be passed to the coroner in due course.
A dive team with sonar capabilities, specialist dogs, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and Lowland Search and Rescue, were involved in the search.
The teenager fell into the water during a spell of hot weather in Norfolk, which has continued throughout this week.
It comes as a heatwave spreads across the UK amid warnings of thunderstorms.
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The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said the risk of drowning increases when schools break for summer.
Craig Carter, the LFB’s assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, added: “Often, young people are encouraged by their peers and aren’t aware of the dangers – no matter how experienced a swimmer you are, it can be impossible to know how deep water is or how fast it is moving.
“Even on hot days, the water temperature can be cold enough to bring on cold water shock, causing panic, anxiety, disorientation and loss of muscular control. This can cause you to gasp for air and inhale water.”
It comes just over a week after a 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulties in a reservoir in Dudley.
Tyrese Johnson’s family paid tribute to the “simply irreplaceable” teenager after his body was pulled from the Lodge Farm Reservoir in the West Midlands town.
The 16-year-old went missing on the same day an eight-year-old boy died after falling into the River Arrow in Alcester, Warwickshire.
Source Agencies
