By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The Red Cross officials of the
station of Limon conformed the
death Tuesday of a woman U.S.
citizen surnamed White,
age 60, at Playa Grande
in Cahuita*.
According to the rescuers'
report, "the emergency call was
received at 11:30 a.m. about a
woman who was swimming near the
beach when a rip current, sent
her out toward the sea."
When the Red Cross paramedic
staff arrived at the beach, Ms
White had been brought to the
beach by local rescuers.
Paramedics were only able to
declare her dead of apparent
drowning. Ms White was
identified by a man, also named
White, who was with her on the
beach.
The Red Cross rescuers reported
the death to agents of the
Judicial Investigation
Organization, who took the body
to the Forensic Morgue located
in San Joaquin de
Flores in Heredia*.
According to the College of
Earth, Ocean, and Environment,
at the University of Delaware, a
rip current, often simply called
a rip, or by the misnomer rip
tide, is a specific kind of
water current which can occur
near beaches with breaking
waves. A rip is a strong,
localized, and narrow current of
water which moves directly away
from the shore, cutting through
the lines of breaking waves like
a river running out to sea, and
is strongest near the surface of
the water.
Rip currents can be hazardous to
people in the water. Swimmers
who are caught in a rip current
and who do not understand what
is going on, and who may not
have the necessary water skills,
may panic, or exhaust themselves
by trying to swim directly
against the flow of water.
This is the second drowning
death of a U.S. citizen this
year. A.M. Costa Rica reported
that on February 22, the Red
Cross rescuers of the Guanacaste
station reported that they
recovered the body of a U.S.
citizen, surnamed Seymour, 71
years old, who drowned at Playa Negra in
Santa Cruz*.
According to the rescuers report
" they received an emergency
call about a man who entered the
water at Playa Negra but who
could not be located. When they
arrived at the site, they found
that some locals had managed to
get the man's body back to the
beach."
Witnesses report that Seymour
had apparently been staying at a
hotel near the beach, and had
decided to go surfing in the
morning. A few minutes after
entering the sea, he had
disappeared.
Raúl Montenegro, a police
officer of the Tamarindo
station, said that after
receiving the emergency call "we
moved from Tamarindo station.
When we arrived at the place,
the Red Cross team was already
there. They confirmed that the
man was dead."
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Red
Cross Costa Rica
courtesy photos
Ms.
White was
identified by a
man, also named
White, who was
with her on the
beach.
The police
reported that they
found Seymour's
identification
among his personal
belongings.
The press office
of the General
Directorate of
Migration reported
that a U.S.
citizen named
Seymour entered
the country on
February 19
through Daniel
Oduber Airport of
Liberia, but it
was not confirmed
that this is the
same person.
Since December
2018, the Ministry
of Security has
carried out
special operations
as a preventative
measure in various
tourist
destinations in
order to provide
better security
conditions for the
locals and
visitors.
The police
operations called
"Safe Summer" are
preventive actions
during the summer
season, which is
when there are a
large number of
tourists.
Daniel Calderón,
general director
of police, said,
"This operation
has a special
emphasis on the
tourist areas of
the country. We
have done a
previous study of
the sectors of
greater
vulnerability or
risk and the
crimes that most
affect tourists
visit them, both
national and
foreign."
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Do
you think there
should be “Caution:
Rip Tide” warnings
at Costa Rican
beaches? We
would like to know
your thoughts on
this story. Send
your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link
to reach the map.
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