A beachgoer died Saturday afternoon and rescuers rushed another to the hospital amid swirling ocean riptides.
Seaside lifeguards pulled two people from the water around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, assisted by Seaside Fire & Rescue on water scooters. Emergency personnel took them to Providence Seaside Hospital, where one of the victims was pronounced dead.
Seaside emergency personnel say there was an active rip current at the time, but a Seaside spokesperson couldn’t say for sure if the riptide was responsible for Saturday’s incident. They declined to release the victims’ identities or give their ages Sunday and offered no updates on the survivor’s condition.
Riptides are powerful ocean currents moving away from the shore. Authorities advise people to check conditions before going in the water and, if caught in a riptide, to swim parallel to shore to escape the current.
