Teen boy at summer camp drowns on outing to Anderson Island’s Old Swimming Hole

A child visiting Anderson Island with a summer camp program drowned Friday at the Old Swimming Hole, officials said.

Steilacoom town administrator Paul Loveless told The News Tribune on Monday the child was a participant in the town’s summer camp program. The boy was swimming with another group of campers when he drowned. Emergency procedures were attempted on the island before the child was airlifted to a hospital where he died.

According to Anderson Island Fire and Rescue the camper was 13.

Further details were not released.

Loveless said the camp has been canceled for the week of July 18.

“We are doing critical incident debrief and counseling with staff. We are also assessing and bringing in and trying to arrange for counselors for any of the participants should they so desire and we’re trying to do that this week,” Loveless told The News Tribune.

Loveless told The News Tribune that the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident.

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 6:44 PM.