The 29-year-old was reportedly dragged into the water by the recirculation of waves and did not resurface.
The body of a missing British kayaker has been found in Switzerland, the Guardian reported. This comes two weeks after Bren Orton was reported missing in the Melezza River in the Ticino region of Switzerland. The 29-year-old, who lives in Warrington, was reportedly swept into the water by recirculating waves and did not resurface.
A post from his 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 recovered yesterday in Lake Maggiore, Italy, following a tragic accident on the nearby Melezza River on May 16.”
A Swiss police spokesperson explained where Mr Orton disappeared and how he was found. A police spokesman said on Thursday: “Shortly before 1pm in Locarno, the lifeless body of the man who disappeared on May 16 while kayaking on 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 notified the emergency services.”
Orton was a social media influencer who set a world record in 2018 after diving 128 feet into Big Banana Falls in Mexico. He began kayaking at age nine after discovering his love for the sport during a school trip. He regularly documented his travels and kayaking trips on Instagram, where he has amassed more than 58,000 followers. His 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, gives you access to some of the coolest people on the planet, and takes a kid from Warrington to Africa in search of the best rapids.”
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 being. From his early teens, 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.
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