Police search for teen who disappeared from school

Police have set up a special team to search for a 15-year-old boy who went missing at a high school in Yanshan county, Jiangxi province more than a month ago, local authorities said on Wednesday.

On Oct 14, Hu Xinyu, a student at Zhiyuan Senior High School, was reported missing. According to video footage provided by the school, he was last seen around 5:48 pm at the dormitories. Hu was believed to be on his way to the classrooms in a nearby building for an evening study session.

Local police said they searched all vehicles that came in and out of the school that night. Police dogs and drones have also been deployed but there was no sign of Hu.

Teachers have combed the school property, including every classroom and dormitory. Even the artificial lake and septic tank have been drained, according to the school.

According to the missing person notice published by Hu's family, they were informed about his disappearance by the school at 11:41 pm on Oct 14.

He wasn't carrying his ID card, cash or cellphone. He only took a digital voice recorder with him when he was last seen.

On Nov 20, news that Hu's body was found and retrieved from a river began to circulate on social media, but it later turned out to be a rumor.

On Wednesday, the publicity department of the Communist Party of China in Yanshan said the search for Hu is ongoing and a special team has been set up by police from provincial, city and county levels.

The conclusion of the investigation will be published in a timely manner. Meanwhile, authorities urged the public not to believe in or spread rumors.