Body of soldier who drowned on a dare found

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) The body of an Air Force soldier who drowned while swimming in the Keelung River after daring his cousin to swim with him was found Friday morning, according to police.

Police and firefighters found a body at 9:05 a.m. around 600 meters from the Dazhi Bridge, police said, and it was confirmed to be that of an Air Force soldier surnamed Chiang (江), after Chiang's family identified him from the clothing he was wearing.

According to police, they were notified at 9:50 p.m. Tuesday that a person went missing at Meiti Riverside Park after jumping into the water.

The initial results of a police investigation found that the 27-year-old Chiang, who was off-duty at the time, was drinking with his cousin at the riverside park when he "jokingly dared his cousin to swim to and from the other side," police said.

He then immediately jumped into the river and started swimming, police said.

Chiang's cousin, who remained on the shore, was scrolling his phone when he noticed that Chiang had disappeared after swimming to the middle of the river and called the police.

The police provided no other details, saying the incident was still being investigated.

The Air Force Command Headquarters issued a statement later Friday morning expressing its condolences and that it will do what it can to help Chiang's family handle the aftermath of his death.

In the statement, it also thanked the efforts of police and firefighters in searching for Chiang, and said it will continue to emphasize off-duty safety to soldiers to prevent other unfortunate incidents from happening.