Teenager drowns in river during swimming competition

Tran Dinh Khiem, a student at Tran Nhan Tong High School, drowned on Sunday as he and his team tried to swim across the Cam River as part of a competition with around 100 participants.

Khiem, who’s from Dong Trieu Town, began to struggle at around 9:15 a.m., as he was swimming with his team. A number of people rushed to his aid, but could not prevent him from going under the water.

His body was retrieved at around 1 p.m. the same day.

The competition, a combination of two separate swimming events, was organized by the Quang Ninh Department of Culture and Sport, and the Dong Trieu Town People’s Committee.

Participants competed in several swimming categories, including as individuals and in groups, with distances between 1-3 km.

The organizers of the competition used boats to carry swimmers to the competition sites. Around 30 boats carried referees, lifeguards and medical personnel to monitor the situation on the river. Other vessels were banned from coming in and out of the area.

Quang Ninh has seen heavy rains over the last few days, causing the water level on the Cam to rise. The river’s width at the site of the competition was 200 m on Sunday.

The Cam itself runs 20 km, starting from the Yen Tu mountain range and ending at the Kinh Thay River.

An investigation is ongoing.