Missing 29-year-old British kayaker found dead in Swiss lake

Body of British kayaker missing in Switzerland found Guardian reported. This comes two weeks after Bren Orton was reported missing on the Melezza River in the Ticino region of Switzerland. The 29-year-old, based in Warrington, is believed to have been swept into the water by recirculating waves and did not resurface.

A message from its sponsor, Pyranha Kayak, read: “It is with immense sadness that we announce that our friend and ambassador Bren Orton is no longer with us. It was reported that Bren's body was found yesterday at Lago Maggiore, Italy, following a tragic accident on the nearby Melezza River on May 16.

A Swiss police spokesperson explained where Mr Orton had gone missing and how he was found. A police spokesperson said on Thursday: “Shortly before 1 p.m. in Locarno, the lifeless body of the man who disappeared on May 16 while kayaking in the Melezza was found in the waters of Lake Maggiore . The alarm was raised by a sailor who found the body in the water and immediately called emergency services.''

Mr Orton was a social media influencer who set a world record in 2018 after diving 128 feet into Big Banana Falls in Mexico. He started kayaking at the age of nine after discovering his love for the sport on a school trip. He has regularly documented his travels and kayaking trips on Instagram, where he has amassed over 58,000 followers. Her Insta bio read: “Trying to never grow up and kayak forever.” »

In a 2020 interview, he described kayaking as “a sport that challenges you on so many levels, provides access to some of the nicest people on the planet, and takes a kid from Warrington to Africa in pursuit of the best rapid”.

Following the announcement, hundreds of people paid tribute to Mr Orton. Former world champion kayaker James Reeves paid tribute to him, writing on Facebook: “Every few years we seem to lose a friend to our sport. Every loss is difficult, and this one is profound. Bren Orton was an incredible human. Since he was a teenager, his warm smile and friendly nature shone as brightly as his kayaking skills… I had the privilege of briefly mentoring Bren in his early years. Then I watched in awe as he became one of the greatest whitewater kayakers of all time.