13-year-old found dead in Tsengwen Reservoir after suspected drowning

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) A 13-year-old junior high school student from Changhua County was found dead in Tsengwen Reservoir in Chiayi County on Sunday after possibly falling into the water while fishing with his father, local authorities said.

The Chiayi County Fire Bureau told CNA on Sunday it received a report of a suspected drowning around 5 p.m. and dispatched fire branch personnel to search the area with motorized rafts and divers.

The youth was found dead near the fishing spot in the county's Dapu Township around 7:10 p.m., police said.

Police said the student and his father, a man surnamed Chuang (莊), had driven to the reservoir that morning -- a location the two had visited to fish several times before.

Chuang told police he stayed in the car to rest while his son went to the water's edge to fish about 70 meters away.

He told police their last phone call was around 9 a.m., and that he looked for his son around an hour later, but only found the boy's cellphone and shoes.

After searching the area without success, he reported the incident at a police station around 4 p.m., police said.

On Monday, the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office said it conducted a joint examination of the body with a forensic medical examiner earlier in the day.

The prosecutors office said the body showed no external injuries and had signs indicating the student entered the water while still alive.

An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday to determine the exact cause and manner of death, the office said.

There were no surveillance cameras or witnesses in the area at the time of the incident, prosecutors said.