A 17-year-old male from Lapaha died last weekend at Fanga ‘o Taupo’ou Beach in Niutoua, marking the first recorded drowning in Tonga this year.
Chief Superintendent Saimone Fifita of Mu’a Police Station told Tonga Broadcasting that the young man had visited the beach with his family for a picnic to escape the heat.
He and his brother were diving into the waves when the incident occurred.
According to Fifita, the victim misjudged the water’s depth and, while diving head-on into a wave, struck the shallow seabed.
His brother noticed him floating unconscious, with his head covered in blood, and rushed him to Vaiola Hospital. But it was too late.
The hospital confirmed that the teenager died due to serious head injuries.
Investigations are ongoing.