A British extreme kayaker is missing and feared dead after going missing in a river in Switzerland after becoming trapped by currents underwater, MailOnline can reveal today.
Bren Orton, 29, got into trouble on the Melezza River in Switzerland’s Ticino region, with police and specialist search teams looking for him since he went missing four days ago.
Bren, who in 2018 broke a world record after kayaking down a terrifying 128-foot-high waterfall in Mexico, disappeared around 2:45 p.m. on Thursday.
The famous whitewater kayaker It appears to have been swept into the water by a recirculating wave. Police have said he was sucked out of his kayak and has not been located.
Its disappearance was revealed by Pyranha, the British manufacturer of its high-performance kayaks.
‘It is with great sadness that we announce an accident involving Bren Orton. While kayaking with a group on the Melezza River in Switzerland, Bren became trapped in a recirculating fountain and did not surface.
Star kayaker Bren Orton is missing and feared dead after an accident on a river in Switzerland
Bren, a daredevil who found fame kayaking down a 125-foot waterfall, was sucked in and held back by the waves.
Bren Orton, 29, got into trouble on Thursday in the Melezza River in the Ticino region of Switzerland.
“Authorities and friends tirelessly continue their search efforts and at this time, Bren is considered missing,” the company said.
Police in Switzerland have been searching for Bren since Thursday afternoon. Police from nearby Italy are also believed to have been assisting in the operation.
Friends and fans fear he has died. But the police have not confirmed this tragic news.
A Ticino police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 2.45pm, in the Palagnedra area, a man who was previously in a kayak was reported missing in the Melezza River.
“The searches, currently unsuccessful and still ongoing, began immediately and involved officers from the cantonal police and, in support, from the Ascona police, as well as rescuers from the Locarnese and Valli ambulance service.”
Bren has been an inspiration to kayakers around the world.
His Instagram account has 57,000 followers and he filmed himself kayaking down a river in Italy less than 48 hours before he disappeared.
Orton filmed himself kayaking in Italy (pictured) in the days before the accident.
He also shared a video on his popular YouTube channel going down the so-called Devil’s Slide waterfall in Val Sesia.
But it was his daring world record in 2018 that made headlines around the world.
Completed the daring descent of Big Banana Falls in Mexico.
Incredible video footage showed the kayaker in the final tense moments at the top of the waterfall before quickly falling into the abyss.
The footage began with Orton high-fiving his friends as they wished him good luck.
As he paddled from the edge into the water, the footage captured the moment his heart stopped the moment he entered the waterfall and fell through the air surrounded by a torrent of water.
His support team rowed towards him as fast as possible trying to find him.
But seconds later he He emerged from the water shortly after his jump, as his relieved team cheered him on.
Bren was a famous gravedigger before becoming a professional kayaker.
He fell in love with the sport on a primary school trip to the Lake District when he was nine.
Speaking previously, he said: ‘In the period before I got paid to kayak, I think I’ve worked almost every job possible.
‘I worked in a call center, as a laborer on a construction site, in a gym, at the National Aquatic Sports Center and as a gravedigger. I also did some medical trials to earn money.
“I only dug the grave for a few months, but the medical trials were the most important, although they were a bit incomplete.”
