Speedboat kills British teenager in Virgin Islands

A British teenager has been killed in a speedboat collision off the Virgin Islands, the US Coastguard said yesterday.

Luke Noble, 14, died along with an American companion when a speedboat collided with their dinghy. Luke's brother Steven and another US citizen, Ian Murray, both 18, survived the accident, which happened on Thursday night near Virgin Gorda, the second largest island in the group. All four were on the dinghy at the time of the crash.

Police in the Virgin Islands said they had detained a Dutch national who had been driving the speedboat. It is alleged that the driver sped off after the crash.

The bodies of the two victims were recovered by police divers yesterday morning, while the two survivors recovered in hospital.

The Foreign Office said: "We are aware of the death of Luke in a boating accident in the British Virgin Islands. The family has not asked us to provide consular assistance yet. We are just standing ready to help where we can."

The tragedy follows the death of 23-year-old Briton Joanna Stillwell, who died two weeks ago after being hit by a speedboat while snorkelling in Malaysia.