A French man yesterday drowned while he and his Taiwanese girlfriend were swimming at Shalun Beach in New Taipei City, police said.
The 37-year old French national and his 19-year old girlfriend, surnamed Chung (鍾), went swimming at Shalun Beach at about 4pm, police said.
Chung saw her boyfriend being engulfed in waves and reported it to the police, asking them to help, they said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Fire Department
The police and coast guard immediately dispatched boats to look for the man, but after about 40 minutes of searching, he was found without a heartbeat in waters about 500m from the beach, authorities said.
He was rushed to hospital, but was pronounced dead soon afterward, authorities added.
The once-popular Shalun Beach has a reputation for being dangerous. It was closed in 1990 due to poor management and its currents, which had led to several drownings.
However, people still frequented the beach.
After four people were killed in 2012, the New Taipei City government announced that Shalun Beach was a prohibited area for water recreation activities, and the official ban on swimming remains in effect.
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