Young rugby player found dead in lake in France
Written by News on 07/09/2018
A British teenager who died in France while on a rugby trip has been named as Harry Sykes.
The 16-year-old’s body was recovered from a lake near the southern city of Carcassonne, after he was reported missing on Wednesday evening.
Harry was taking part in a tour with his teammates from the Halifax Elite Rugby Academy.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Halifax Rugby League Football Club described Harry as a “truly kind, honest and committed young man”.
It added: “Halifax RLFC would like to express our condolences to the family and teammates of local young player Harry Sykes who has tragically passed away in France whilst on tour with his team from the Halifax Elite Rugby Academy.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and teammates at this time.”
The Rugby Football League’s chief executive, Ralph Rimmer, said he was “extremely saddened by the tragic news”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Harry’s family, friends and teammates at this sad time,” he added.
The Foreign Office said it was “supporting the family of a British national” and was in touch with the local authorities.
A post-mortem reportedly took place on Thursday and the results will be made available in due course.
(c) Sky News 2018: Young rugby player found dead in lake in France
