A Filipino teenager has drowned after losing his balance while walking on a bridge and falling into the sea off an outlying island in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has learned.

According to a source, the 17-year-old boy, who holds a Hong Kong identity card, was chatting with two friends while sitting on the railings of Chau Tsai Bridge on Peng Chau on Friday evening.

At around 7.18pm, he stood on the railings and walked a few steps before losing his balance and falling into the sea, the source said.

The source added that the two friends initially saw him attempting to swim back to the shore, but he eventually vanished from their sight. They immediately called police.

Firefighters deployed to the scene later found the boy unconscious about 20 metres (65.6 feet) from the shore. He was rushed to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they found no suspicious circumstances and the force’s Cheung Chau division was investigating the case.