1. Panama City Beach swimmers tragedy
2. BCSO officials confirm deaths in Panama City Beach.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WMBB) – A day of fun in the sun turned tragic for three young men from Birmingham, Alabama, who lost their lives after being caught in rip currents in the Gulf of Mexico. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a distress call on Friday evening, reporting three swimmers in trouble behind Watercress Condominiums at 6201 Thomas Drive.
The victims, identified as 25-year-old Denzel Hunter, 24-year-old Jemonda Ray, and 24-year-old Marius Richardson, were part of a group of friends who had arrived in Panama City Beach earlier that day. Eager to hit the beach, they quickly checked into their rental and headed for the water, only to be swept away by powerful rip currents.
Despite the swift response from emergency services, including Bay County Emergency Services, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Coast Guard, all three men were pronounced dead at local hospitals. Sheriff Ford expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and thanked the agencies involved in the rescue efforts.
Search and Rescue Efforts
After the initial distress call, one swimmer was successfully located and rescued from the water. However, two others remained missing, prompting an extensive search operation. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Air Unit, the Coast Guard, and the FWC, continued scouring the area near Watercress Condominiums in a race against time to find the remaining missing swimmers.
Updates throughout the evening indicated the progress of the search efforts, with one of the missing swimmers being located and receiving medical attention. Tragically, one of the distressed swimmers did not survive, further intensifying the sense of loss and sadness surrounding the incident.
By 11:21 p.m., all three distressed swimmers had been located, but sadly, all three had succumbed to the dangerous conditions of the Gulf. The community mourns the loss of these young men and serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the sea.
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– Swimmers dead in Panama City Beach
– BCSO officials say Panama City Beach.
