Tributes for US student who died after Shetland swim

TRIBUTES have been paid to a young American student who collapsed and died after going for a swim off a beach on Shetland.

Evan Dube, 19, from Plaistow, New Hampshire, was with a group of ten students from Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, who had arrived in Shetland to work on an archaeological project on the islands.

He collapsed and died on Saturday night after going for a swim off West Voe beach at Sumburgh on the southern tip of the Shetland mainland.

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: “Evan was with a group of ten students from Bates College, who were participating in the Shetland Islands Climate and Settlement Project, an ongoing archaeological research project funded by the National Science Foundation, involving scholars from Bates and other higher education institutions.

“The group were on the beach intending to have a barbecue and arrived at the beach shortly after 9pm on Saturday night. Shortly afterwards Evan went into the water and after coming ashore appears to have collapsed. His friends attempted to resuscitate him and called emergency services. He was then airlifted to the local hospital, but sadly attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.”

He added: “There do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident and a report is being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Evan was pursuing classical studies at Bates. A spokesman for Bates College said: “Bates College has been shaken and deeply saddened to learn that first-year student Evan Dube died on Saturday night in the Shetland Islands.

“At this time we have no other information about the incident to offer— simply that we have lost a member of our Bates community long before his time. Evan’s fellow students in Scotland are receiving grief counselling and will return to Boston on Tuesday.”