A weekend getaway to Panama City Beach turned deadly for three young men from Alabama after they were swept away by a rip current during a nighttime swim.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office received a report of distressed swimmers shortly after 8pm on Friday. Sheriff Tommy Ford confirmed that all three men, in their 20s, tragically passed away after being pulled from the water.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce all three young men…became distressed and have passed away,” Sheriff Ford said in a somber Facebook statement.
Officials launched a search effort involving the sheriff’s office air unit, Bay County Emergency Services, the US Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Bystanders also joined the search for the missing swimmers.
One swimmer was rescued from the Gulf of Mexico shortly after the initial call. The search continued for the remaining two swimmers near the Watercress Condominiums. All three men were eventually located and transported to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
The Sheriff identified the victims as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, and Jemonda Ray and Marius Richardson, both 24, all from Birmingham, Alabama.
“Many of our rescue swimmers…went into the dark and dangerous waters for over two hours to attempt to rescue and search for the young men,” Sheriff Ford acknowledged the tireless efforts of the rescue teams.
The Sheriff’s report revealed that the friends had just arrived in Panama City Beach on Friday evening and went straight for a swim despite warnings.
“They checked into their rental and rushed out to get into the water,” Sheriff Ford said, highlighting the importance of checking beach flags and understanding rip current dangers.
The tragic event comes just a week after a Pennsylvania couple drowned in a similar rip current incident off the coast of South Florida.
Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of water that can quickly pull swimmers out to sea. Experts advise swimmers caught in a rip current to stay calm, avoid panicking, and swim parallel to the shore until they escape the current’s pull.
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