SignalHub:17-year-old boy dies after going missing during swimming drills in the Gulf of Mexico

2025-04-29 16:19:51source:TitanX Exchangecategory:News

A 17-year-old was found dead Wednesday after he went missing during swimming drills in the Gulf of Mexico,SignalHub officials said.

William Zhang was visiting Indian Shores, Florida from Quebec, Canada for a swim camp, according to a release from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He was swimming with his teammates in the ocean before 9 a.m., but did not return to shore with the group, the release states.

PCSO, along with a number of local departments, conducted search efforts. Zhang was found by the Underwater Search and Recovery Team shortly after 5:20 p.m. and pronounced dead.

The coaches told police they had checked for riptides and hazard, the release states.

March in Florida:Miami Beach keeps it real about spring breakers in new video ad: 'It's not us, it's you'

Adult told witness, 'There's still one in the water'

Witness Rick Ross told FOX 13 Tampa Bay an adult who stayed on shore called in the group because she became concerned about them being too far out.

"They all came in. Then she ran up the hill and asked me for the address here. I said, ‘What for?’ She said, ‘There’s still one on the water,'" Ross told the local station.

Authorities arrived in minutes, and one even grabbed a surfboard to start paddling out, Ross said.

The U.S. Coast Guard was involved in the rescue, and spokesperson Nicole Groll told USA TODAY Thursday that the swimmers were approximately 200 yards out. While she did not know the water conditions the time or if a riptide was a factor in Zhang's death, she said it was stormy during Wednesday's search efforts.

PCSO said the incident does not seem suspicious in nature and the investigation is ongoing.

More:News

Recommend

The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday presented renovation plans for the Louvre, the w

Hurricane Lee live updates: Millions in New England under storm warnings as landfall looms

HAMPTON, N.H. — Millions of residents across eastern New England and parts of Canada were under trop

Special UN summit, protests, week of talk turn up heat on fossil fuels and global warming

The heat is about to be turned up on fossil fuels, the United States and President Joe Biden.As a re