First pic of Irish teen, 17, fatally electrocuted by shower head during Greece holiday as probe focusing on water

AN Irish teenager who lost his life while having a shower in Greece has been named.

Tourist Alex McKee, 17, collapsed on the spot as he was showering on the Aegean isle of Kimolos on August 9.

Mr McKee was a fifth-year student of Terence MacSwiney Community College in Knocknaheeny on Cork City’s northside.

He was due to start his Leaving Cert year in September.

Mr McKee gained national recognition earlier this year when he was part of an award-winning Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition project, which gained national acclaim.

He and two classmates developed ‘Bumblebee,’ a communication system for people with nonverbal autism.

The project won first place in its category, as well as a Special Award from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office.

Paying tribute, local TD for Cork North Central Colm Burke of Fine Gael said: “It is extremely sad to hear that someone so young has died so tragically.

“He was a really talented young person with his whole life and huge career ahead of him.

“Earlier this year, he put a huge effort into getting to that stage in the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and was awarded for his efforts.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is ”aware of the case and is providing consular assistance to the family”.

In an update on the case today, the probe into Mr McKee’s death is now focusing on a water heater in the bathroom.

The teen had arrived on Kimolos with his mum and sister just three days before tragedy struck on August 9.

It is understood that the boy’s mum comes from Kimolos.

A Greek relative of the family told a local TV station that the teenager “died very suddenly as soon as he picked up the shower head”.

With a population of less than 1,000, the island’s Mayor Kostas Vendouris said: “What has happened is a shock for me and for my island.”

The Irish Sun revealed that the teen had died yesterday, with the cop in charge of the investigation telling us: “He died in the shower as a result of electric shock.

“There was clearly some sort of wiring fault. It was instant.”

Local police brought in an expert immediately to inspect the electrics in the stone house the family are believed to have rented.

The officer explained that the family loved the quiet island and visited regularly.

A post-mortem on the teen’s body was due to be carried out in a hospital in Piraeus, near Athens.

Hospital sources said that the cause of death was likely to be cardiac arrest.

Local town hall officials described the incident as “unprecedented”, saying the tragedy had thrown “a big black cloud” over the tiny isle.

Another local added: “The boy’s mother is distraught, as is his father.

“Nobody expects to lose a child like this. It’s unprecedented.”

An official inquiry was continuing at pace, police said, with authorities yesterday focusing “on the electrics” in the rented home, an old house on the island.

According to sources, the investigation will focus on whether the electric panel had a safety valve to prevent the surge.

It is understood that the house had an updated certificate.

The Irish family will be able to appoint their own technical expert as part of the inquiry, The Irish Sun has learned.

The family is now expected to fly back to Ireland so that friends and family can pay their last respects back home.