A Connecticut man died in an apparent drowning in Florida, likely a victim of a rip current, Cocoa Beach fire officials said.
A woman from Ohio also died after being rescued along with him and two others Tuesday afternoon, they said.
According to the Cocoa Beach Fire Department, first responders were called to the beach at 4th Street South around 1 p.m. They found four people in the water, rescued them and “immediately began life-saving measures for two of them.”
Despite their efforts, a 42-year-old Connecticut man and a 34-year-old Ohio woman were pronounced dead at Cape Canaveral Hospital, the fire officials said.
Detective Sgt. Taylor Payne of Cocoa Beach Police Department said the two victims were adults from different families who had leapt into action when they noticed their children struggling in the water.
Payne said the department would be withholding the identities of the two victims pending notification of their families.
A child was among the surviving victims, according to WESH, a Hearst TV station in Florida. The child did not need medical help, and the fourth person involved declined to be taken to the hospital, the TV station said.
The two adults had been watching a group of children, WESH said, and were about a mile from the nearest lifeguard tower.
“Preliminary information indicates the incident was related to a rip current,” fire officials said on Facebook. “We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones, and our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic event.”
WESH reported the drowning took place in a part of the beach where lifeguards were not stationed. Brevard County Ocean Rescue officials also told the outlet they are dealing with a lifeguard shortage throughout the county.
“We’ve had to suppress some towers due to some lifeguard shortages but like I said we actively seeking more lifeguards currently to fill those holes,” Eisen Witcher, the chief of the rescue agency, said.