Friend of Foxtons founder’s son killed in banana boat crash
Victim was staying at the billionaire’s Portuguese villa
‘Thoughts and prayers are with his family’
A BRITISH holidaymaker was last night feared dead after falling into a lake when a banana boat capsized.
Richard Chapelow, 29, was flung from the inflatable vessel after it flipped at high speed in Portugal.
He had been a guest at a mansion owned by Jon Hunt, founder of the Foxtons estate agency. Mr Chapelow was described as a family friend and is thought to have been on holiday with the tycoon’s son Harry.
The accident happened at the Santa Clara Dam around 5pm on Monday. Last night friends and family admitted they had lost any hope he will be found alive.
Mr Chapelow, who worked in marketing after attending London’s £19,000-a-year Latymer Upper School, had been among a group of ten Britons at the lake an hour’s drive north of the Algarve.
Local fire and rescue chief Mario Batista said four people were on the banana boat with another six on a vessel towing it. Mr Chapelow disappeared after all four were thrown in the water.
Mr Batista added: ‘The search teams know they are probably looking for a body at this stage but it may be time before there is any news. Visibility is very poor and the water has a depth of up to 104ft.
‘In a worst case scenario it could take days to find the missing man’s body.’
More than 30 people had been taking part in the search. A spokesman for police in the city of Beja said: ‘A 29-year-old British man who disappeared just before 5pm yesterday is still missing.’
A statement on behalf of Mr Hunt said: ‘My family and I are devastated by the loss of Richard, following a tragic accident at Santa Clara Dam. Our thoughts and prayers are wholly with Richard’s family, and we ask that both families are given space to grieve such a painful loss.
‘We will be working closely with the Portuguese authorities to understand what has happened, and are grateful to the local police and fire services for their efforts. It is a time of great sorrow.’
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: ‘We are assisting the family of a British man reported missing in Portugal and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Mr Hunt, 65, from Colchester, Essex, founded Foxtons in 1981 and is now worth over £1billion.
Banana boats are popular with British tourists. They are often towed by a speedboat and can accommodate up to ten riders on each side.
In 2010, an 11-year-old girl was killed after she was flung from a banana boat at a friend’s birthday party in Bedfont, West London. Mari-Simon Cronje was struck by the speedboat that was towing the inflatable. Princes Sporting Club were fined around £35,000 for corporate manslaughter in 2011. The boat driver did not have a UK licence to supervise the youngsters on board.
Last year a British father was killed while riding an inflatable sofa that was being pulled by a speedboat.
Simon Crewe, 57, from Whetstone, Leicestershire, was one of three men on the ride in Kefalonia, Greece. One of the men was catapulted into the air before hitting Mr Crewe, who died from neck injuries.