The body of a 17-year-old exchange student from Ghana, who drowned in Mission Bay of San Diego, California, when his kayak - a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat - capsized has been found.
San Diego lifeguards Sunday retrieved the lifeless remains of Abdul Razak Shanun � a basketball star in the making - and identified him as a Ghanaian immigrant.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 2012 when he was offered a scholarship to play basketball for a private school in Massachusetts.
Shanun was reported missing at 3:01 p.m. Saturday and StarrFMOnline.com understands that the body was not found until Sunday morning. According to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Lee Swanson, the body of the Ghanaian teenager was discovered in 25 feet of water at an undisclosed location in the bay.
The 6-foot 8-inch power forward, who had played with different organisations in the USA before landing at Balboa City School, in 2014, was in a rented kayak when it capsized and became separated from his personal flotation device and submerged. UT San Diego reported that witnesses saw him cling to a life preserver for a short time, then he lost his grip on it and sank into the water off Santa Clara Point Recreation Center. According to a local channel, SD6, a tweet from the San Diego lifeguard account said it was believed he had not been wearing a life jacket.
SDFRD dispatched emergency personnel including rescue divers and a helicopter to search for Shanun Saturday, but the search was unsuccessful in Mission Bay's near-blackout visibility conditions, Swanson said. After about an hour, authorities said the search turned to a rescue operation.
The search resumed Sunday with the use of vessels from the Parks Ranger Lake Team and San Diego Police Department, both equipped with side-scanning sonar, Swanson said. Five lifeguard divers were also deployed.
Shanun posted �Thank God for a beautiful day� on Twitter Saturday, and later tweeted the words �Mission Bay.�
Friends turned to the social media site to remember Shanun. �RIP to a bright young man who had a bright future,� one user said. Another posted, �...heaven jus got a 6�9� gentle giant.�
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |