Debbie Szymanski, 60, latest to drown off Florida's Panama City Beach
A 60-year-old woman from Missouri has become the fifth tourist in four days to die off the shore of Panama City Beach, Florida.
Debbie Szymanski of St. Louis was found unresponsive by family members in Gulf waters around 11:30 a.m. Sunday. They were bringing her to shore when Bay County Sheriff's Office deputies and emergency medical services arrived on scene near Carillon on the west end of Panama City Beach, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.
Szymanski was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said. She was a victim of a riptide, the New York Post reported.
Two days prior, three young Alabama men who had traveled to the same area with a group of friends had just checked into their rental and went for a swim when they got into distress, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.
BEACH SAFETY TIPS: 7 THINGS TO DO IN A RIP CURRENT AND HOW TO STAY SAFE NEAR THE WATER
Do not try to swim directly in to shore if you are caught in a rip current - instead, swim along the shoreline until you escape the current's pull. (Hutchinson Island Florida Facebook page)
"The three men were caught in a rip currently shortly after entering the water," the post said. They have been identified as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25; Jemonda Ray, 24 and Marius Richardson, 24, from Birmingham. All three were fathers.
Last Thursday, 19-year-old Ryker Milton from Oklahoma died after being caught in a rip current off Panama City Beach, Oklahoma City TV station KOCO reported.
BE WELL: PREVENT DROWNING WITH THESE CHILD SAFETY WATER TIPS
Bay County Sheriff's Office's latest Facebook post reminds beach goers that single red flags posted on the shores means there are strong currents in the water.
Flags are posted at beaches across Florida to alert those who choose to go in the water about current conditions. (WTVT)
That same day, a Pennsylvania couple visiting Florida with their six children drowned after they were caught in a rip current while swimming.
PENNSYLVANIA PARENTS VACATIONING WITH CHILDREN IN FLORIDA DROWN AFTER GETTING CAUGHT IN RIP CURRENT
This image provided by NOAA pictures a harmless green dye used to show a rip current. Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. About 100 people drown from rip currents along U.S. beaches each year, according to the U.S. Lifesaving Association. (NOAA via AP)
Brian Warter, 51, 48-year-old Erica Wishard, and two of their mostly teenage children were caught in the current on Hutchinson Island along Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. It added that the two children were able to break free of the current and tried to help their parents but were forced to swim ashore when conditions became too dangerous.
Martin County Ocean Rescue attempted life-saving measures and took the couple to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
