4 people killed by rip currents in just 48 days: Panama City Beach on the verge of becoming the deadliest beach in the US
Four people were killed in the last two days of Panama City Beach, Florida and the area is now in the running to be among the most deadly in the country for the second consecutive year.
Deadly rip currents off Panama City, Florida, killed four people within 48 hours, a tragic toll setting the area on pace for another year as one of the country’s deadliest beaches.
Three bodies belonging to men were found one after another, on the authorities announced on Friday evening. They were on their way from Alabama to Panama City from Alabama just an hour earlier.
In the afternoon of Thursday the rescue crew tried unsuccessfully to save a 19 year-old swimmer behind Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant on Panama City Beach.
The year 2023 was the most deadly. Panama City rip currents killed more people than any other place on the United States, according to National Weather Service data. Eight people were killed in the city. In total, Florida rip currents killed more than 30 people in the last year. This is in contrast to five that died from New Jersey and three each in California, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
The beaches that are often packed during the summer months pose an unintentional danger: swift-moving channels of water which can pull a swimmer from the shore and make them exhausted trying to get out. According to the National Ocean Service estimates that thousands of swimmers are saved from rip currents every throughout the U.S.
Rip currents can happen at any beach that has breaking waves, even at beaches in the Great Lakes, waters off the Florida coast have been proven to be to be among the most hazardous. At least six have died on Florida beaches this week and that’s not counting 11 others who’ve been drowned throughout the U.S. and its territories due to rip currents in the year up to June 9.
Deaths of people in the dangerous Florida break currents
Involvements in drowning at Florida beaches over the past couple of days have claimed the lives of at least six tourists from outside the state.
Tragically, tragedy struck Panama City on Friday, when three tourists in Alabama were swept away by the water as one red flag was fluttering which means that the conditions were dangerous due to high surf or strong currents.
The three men were at the scene later in the day The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said. Harold Denzel Hunter, 25; Jemonda Ray, 24 as well as Marius Richardson, 24; all of them from the Birmingham area, got into the water around 8 p.m. They checked into be at a beachfront condo and were planning to go out for a shopping spree, but they wanted to take a dip first.
In less than 10 minutes the sheriff’s office was called to a call from distressed swimmers. The other members of the group females were also with the group, but they returned to shore before the men got stressed at sea. Gulf.
Hunter, Ray, and Richardson were discovered all at once within a quarter mile of the point at which they had taken a dip in the water. They were transported to hospitals in the area in which they were declared dead.
On Thursday the 19th of April, an 19-year-old visitor to Oklahoma was swept away by an eddy and was swept away in the waters of Panama City Beach. Ryker Milton was enrolled in the first semester of his seminary online and was working alongside an intern pastor from New Community Church, a non-denominational Christian church. The lead pastor Simeon Young reported to that the Panama City News Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network.
An elderly couple hailing from Pennsylvania died on Thursday after being trapped in a rip current off Stuart Beach Hutchinson Island, officials announced. Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were on vacation together with their five children at the time two of their teens were caught in the current. Two teens were able to free themselves of the current.
Real-time updates Three young men drowned in the Gulf of Mexico in Bay County Florida
See how rip currents are working: Graphics show how rip currents pose danger to swimmers.
Rip currents take many lives every year
In the past year, 91 people were killed in the rip currents that swept across U.S. beaches, according to data from the weather service. It was a rise from the annual average, which was 74 people killed each year. The majority of people who drown in rip currents or other hazards of the surf are boys and men who are between the age between 10 and 29 years old as evidenced by the data. the majority of deaths occur during between June and July.
Experts agree that Rip currents can be dangerous as they may cause swimmers to become anxious and attempt to get closer to shore, causing fatigue before they’re in a position to escape the current that is pulling them away.
Be sure to check the water’s conditions before entering the ocean according to the authorities and be sure to swim close to the lifeguard. It’s not legal within Florida to swim if there are two red flags in place that are the most dangerous situations. Red flags that are single indicate the presence of strong rip currents and it is recommended to stay clear of the waters.
Panama City beaches continue deadly record
The majority of Panama City Beach water rescues occur during only one flag, Panama City Beach Fire Rescue Director of Beach Safety Daryl Paul told the Panama City News Herald which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Rip currents can be fatal even if the sea appears tranquil, he added. Two deaths in the last year happened in single red flags and the other seven deaths were in Bay County happened with double red flags flying over the ocean in extremely turbulent conditions in the surf.
“Waves aren’t causing any harm here. They’re not the danger. Rip currents are the danger and that’s the reason we’re using flags for,” Paul said.
If you’re trapped in a rip-current then be sure to stay at a safe distance. Then, swim along the beach, instead of toward the shore. Then, return to the shore at an angle after you’re out of the current.
Contributing: Claire Thornton and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Nathan Cobb, Lianna Norman and C. A. Bridges, Panama City News Herald
