SEASIDE, Ore. — One person was killed in Seaside after a dangerous, active rip current rescue, according to the City of Seaside.
On Saturday afternoon at about 2:33 p.m., Seaside Fire & Rescue responded to a report of an active water rescue on the beach near 6th Avenue. Three lifeguards were in the water in an active rip current, attempting to rescue two victims. Multiple bystanders were also trying to help out with the rescue, Seaside officials said.
Jet skis were brought out to quickly assist lifeguards with the rescue, and rescuers managed to pull both people from the water.
The victims were transported to Providence Seaside Hospital for treatment and evaluation.
One of the victims, who was unconscious when the rescue team arrived, was later pronounced dead, according to Seaside officials. He was described as a man in his 50s.
The condition of the other victim is unknown, but officials said that she survived. She was later described her as a girl in her teens.
Seaside officials said that there was another water rescue in Cannon Beach just 45 minutes after the deadly Seaside incident. Lifeguards in Seaside also rescued two swimmers in distress at the south end of the beach about two hours later.
One of the swimmers rescued in the second Seaside incident, a 27-year-old woman, reportedly told fire personnel that they had been standing in waist-deep water one minute and "struggling in water over their heads" the next.
“We cannot stress the unpredictable dangers of the ocean enough,” said Genesee Dennis, division chief of prevention for Seaside Fire & Rescue. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family for their tragic loss yesterday.”
Between Saturday and Sunday, Seaside Fire & Rescue said lifeguards pulled 16 swimmers out of the ocean.
With water temperatures unusually warm for this time of year, the agency said people are wading farther out into the water. Seaside Fire & Rescue warned beachgoers to use extreme caution when entering the water and to have others present. Avoid areas were rip currents are common and learn how to escape by swimming parallel to the beach, the agency said.
To learn more about rip currents and water safety, visit the Seaside Fire and Rescue website.
Warning signs have been placed near the incident area to advise about immediate rip current danger.
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