Local News

A 12-year-old Massachusetts boy has reportedly drowned off the coast of Puerto Rico

The body was reportedly found Tuesday morning.

A beach in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan. A 12-year-old boy from Massachusetts died swimming at Condado Beach. Xavier Garcia / Bloomberg

By Susannah Sudborough

1 minute to read

A 12-year-old Massachusetts boy has drowned off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, The Boston Globe reports.

The Globe said the information comes from a U.S. Coast Guard official in San Juan.

The Coast Guard was called to Condado Beach in San Juan around 10 p.m. Sunday after it received a report that a swimmer may be in distress, according to the Globe.

The report said two boys had gone into the water and soon began to yell for help. One boy was able to be rescued quickly by a civilian, but the other was not.

The Coast Guard searched the beach Sunday night and Monday, but on Tuesday morning, a dive unit discovered the body of the 12-year-old boy near the shore.

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The 12-year-old boy’s name has not been released, and the condition of the 13-year-old boy is unknown.

“I’d like to reiterate that this is one of the most dangerous beaches in Puerto Rico. Any person that would have gone into the water, whether a minor or adult, would have had a difficult time coming out,” Ricardo Castrodad, a public affairs specialist for the Coast Guard, told The Globe.

WCVB reports that Henry Neumann Zayas, a Puerto Rican senator who represents the District of San Juan, said the victim was on a trip with his 13-year-old friend and the friend’s family when he died.

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He said that the two boys had just arrived at their hotel Sunday night when they ran out to the beach and were swept up by the currents.

Zayas added that locals know Condado Beach is dangerous, and that it has killed several people over the years, but he noted many tourists are not aware of the deadly waters.

Zayas said he is pushing for more lifeguards to be added to Condado Beach, though in the case of the 12-year-old boy, those lifeguards would already have left for the day.

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