Grammar school boy drowns while rafting in Ecuador
A GRAMMAR school boy has drowned while white water rafting with classmates on an expedition to Ecuador.
Friends desperately scrambled to help Matthew Hitchman, 17, when he fell into the rapids on Sunday but were unable to save him.
His headmaster at Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, paid tribute to the ‘splendid young man’ who loved travel and was ‘destined to do well’.
Last night a relative at the family’s £900,000 four-bedroom home in the town said that Matthew’s parents, his brother and sister were still too distraught to speak publicly.
Having already trekked through the Andes and worked on a community project, the sixth-form pupil was three weeks into the month-long trip organised by adventure company World Challenge.
Days after climbing a volcano, Matthew joined his classmates to try out white water rafting near Tena in the Amazon rainforest on Sunday. The extreme sport is part of the company’s rest and relaxation phase and is billed a ‘must for the adrenaline junkies of the team’.
It is not yet known exactly how Matthew fell from the inflatable raft, but local media reported flooding in recent days. Rescue attempts by the rafting guide and other members of his class ‘proved impossible’, according to World Challenge.
Matthew lived with his parents Carl,
Love of travel: Matthew Hitchman 55, who is understood to work for an international investment company in London, and Susan, 54, in a large detached house. The couple have two other children, Jason, 20, and Ellen, 22.
The selective Royal Grammar School – whose alumni include comedian Jimmy Carr, singer Ian Dury and Tory MP Chris Grayling – said the other 11 boys on the trip have since returned home.
World Challenge has suspended all white water rafting trips and has started an independent review into the tragedy.
On its website the company says it is the largest school expedition provider in the world, taking 9,000 pupils on trips every year with ‘unrivalled levels of safety’.
This is not the first death the company has had to deal with. In 2012 the parents of a 17-year-old who collapsed and died while trekking in Morocco criticised it for a lack of emergency care. A decade earlier, a 17-year-old fell 1,650ft to her death after being led up a dangerous mountain while trekking in Vietnam in bad weather.
Last night Matthew’s uncle John Brazendale, 63, said: ‘The family don’t want to say anything, they’re too upset. It was a great shock when we found out.’
Philip Wayne, headmaster of the school, where fees for boarders cost £14,000-ayear, said: ‘Matthew will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He was a caring, friendly and well-liked student who was highly regarded by teachers and pupils.
‘Hardworking, courteous and reliable and described as a “splendid young man” by his form tutor, Matthew had the qualities of someone who, combined with his academic ability, was destined to do well.
‘He had a love of world travel and was excited about the study of chemistry or chemical engineering in the future.’
World Challenge said in a statement: ‘Our hearts go out to the family, Matthew’s team mates and the wider school community. Our efforts are now focused on ensuring they are supported in every way possible.
‘We are working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Embassy and the local emergency services in Ecuador to whom we extend our sincere thanks.
‘A full independent review is already under way and while this is the case we have suspended white water rafting in all destinations. All teams currently on expedition have been informed.’