Drink tragedy on school trip

The latest tragedy on a supervised trip is expected to prompt schools to review their policies on such outings.

Nicholas choked on his own vomit but police said his friends were too drunk to notice immediately that he was in trouble.

When he collapsed they struggled to call the emergency services. By the time paramedics arrived Nicholas was dead.

Two teachers were supervising the lower-sixth form physics trip to the Deutches Elektronen-Synchrotron, a science laboratory in Hamburg.

The group of four secretly began drinking in a small room at the £13-a-night Schanzenstern hostel in the Ottensen district on Thursday, the third night of the outing.

Hamburg police spokesman Andreas Schoepflin said: " Without the knowledge of their teachers, they got heavily drunk." He said the boys may not have immediately noticed that Nicholas was in distress. He added: "When Nicholas collapsed, the other boys tried to revive him and were just about able to summon the emergency services. An autopsy later showed time of death was

2.08am on 2 April." It is understood the boys did not tell their teachers about the incident until after the ambulance had arrived. They were questioned by police but have since returned home. The trip was abandoned for the other nine boys present.

Nicholas's parents Douglas and Margaret from Weybridge, Surrey, flew out to Hamburg immediately. Arrangements are now being made to bring his body back to England.

Kings College School charges parents £11,730-a-year. A spokesman for the school refused to reveal details of the incident. But headteacher Anthony Evans sent a letter to the parents of all 1,200 boys informing them of the tragedy.

It read: "In such tragic circumstances, our thoughts and sympathies are with Nicholas's parents and family at a time of terrible personal loss.

"Our thoughts are also with the pupils on the visit and with the members of staff. Their organisation and conduct of the tour and their actions in response to this tragedy were of the highest order. "

One parent at the school said the blame could not be directed solely at teachers. He said: "How far can you go to supervise boys who are almost adults?"