Teen Drowns After Water Bike Capsizes on Lake Juksty, Poland

On 19 May 2026, four 18‑19‑year‑old high‑school seniors from the Warsaw area were riding a water bike on Lake Juksty near Śniadowo, Mrągowo in the Warmian‑Masurian region. During a change of positions the bike overturned, plunging all four into the water. Two managed to swim to shore, a third clung to the bike and was rescued by firefighters, while the fourth, an 18‑year‑old, went missing.

Rescue teams from Mrągowo, Giżycko and Olsztyn conducted a prolonged search using divers, sonar, drones and other specialist equipment. At 16:00 the body was recovered at a depth of 24 m, about 100 m from the shore, and later transferred for autopsy. Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation, noting that none of the youths wore life jackets and three had consumed alcohol, with two exceeding 0.5 ‰ blood‑alcohol level. The incident is the 11th drowning death recorded in the Warmia‑Mazury region in 2026.