VICTORIA, Seychelles — A teenager has died in a drowning incident at a coastal area known as Dan Zil in Bel Ombre, Mahé. The body was recovered after a search and rescue operation lasting nearly three hours, and the death was later confirmed by the police pathologist. The victim’s father, Keith Valentin, confirmed his son’s identity to local media.
The alarm was raised at 4:46pm, when police received an emergency report that a teenager had disappeared at sea in the area. The Marine Police, the Seychelles Coast Guard, and Zil Air helicopters were mobilised, with civilians also joining the search effort along the rocky shoreline. After an extensive search, the body was located among rocks by civilian volunteers, not far from the point at which the teenager was last seen in the water.
The body has been transferred for further examination, and the formal cause of death is yet to be confirmed, pending an autopsy. The incident has once again highlighted the dangers of swimming in unguarded coastal areas, particularly along Mahé’s exposed western shoreline where currents and submerged rocks pose particular hazards.
Local media have expressed condolences to the Valentin family following the tragedy. The Seychelles Coast Guard and police have urged members of the public to exercise extreme caution when entering the sea outside designated safe zones, and to alert emergency services immediately if anyone is seen to be in difficulty.
