Parents of Chinese teen drowned at summer camp arrive in US

Wang Bin's parents, Wang Youqing and Chen Zhixia. Photo from Sina Weibo

The parents of a Chinese teenager who drowned while visiting a summer camp in Washington have arrived in the United States.

Wang Bin, 18, from Hefei, East China's Anhui province, was found dead in Lake Whatcom at Camp Firwood near Bellingham, Washington, on July 26.

Wang Bin's parents, Wang Youqing and Chen Zhixia, arrived in Seattle on Aug 5, with assistance from the Consulate General of China in San Francisco.

Wang Youqing had paid more than 50,000 yuan ($7437) for his son to attend a 20-day long summer camp in the United States. He said he never expected it would be dangerous. Their main priority now is to deal with Wang Bin's funeral and ship the body of their son back to China. But they also hope to get further details about the true cause of his accident.

Wang Bin was last seen on July 25 around 4:30 pm during a sailboat tipping drill with other campers. Photo from Sina Weibo

Wang was last seen on July 25 around 4:30 pm during a sailboat tipping drill with other campers, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said. Wang didn't participate in the drill but was seen at a beach near the water, authorities said.

Wang's shirt, shoes and other items of clothing were found nearby. Wang didn’t know how to swim.

Authorities located the body of Wang Bin on July 26 using an underwater camera.

But the reason why he decided to enter the water is still unknown.

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said that the water goes quickly from being shallow to a steep 30-foot drop in the area where Wang was last seen.

Tom Beaumont, executive director at The Firs, which operates Camp Firwood, said there had been no other deaths there since it opened in 1955.