British boy (14) drowns in Amsterdam

A day out turned into a nightmare

A British 14-year-old has drowned while sailing with friends in Amsterdam’s Buiten-IJ on Sunday afternoon.

The teenager reportedly ended up in the water, but could not swim well and disappeared.

A passenger alerted police around 3:30 PM.

A fire brigade diving team was dispatched to search for the boy, along with police, Coast Guard, and trauma helicopters.

photo-of-various-emergency-vehicles-on-green-field-in-amsterdam-after-British-boy-drowns
The police assume a fatal accident. Image: Politie

The teen was found after an hour-long search. He was taken to the hospital in a critical condition but later passed away.

The police are investigating the incident but are treating it as an accident.

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Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺https://gallivantations.com
Sam has over six years experience writing about life in the Netherlands and leads the content team at DutchReview. She originally came to the Netherlands to study in 2016 and now holds a BA (Hons.) in Arts, a BA (Hons) in Journalism, and a Masters in Teaching. She loves to write about settling into life in the Netherlands, her city of Utrecht, learning Dutch, and jobs in the Netherlands — and she still can’t jump on the back of a moving bike (she's learning!).

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