Outer Banks tourists pull struggling swimmer from ocean only to see him die on beach

Bystanders rushed to save a struggling swimmer off North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but the man died after they pulled him to the beach, according to the National Park Service.

The identity of the man has not been released. He was from the nearby Outer Banks community of Buxton, Cape Hatteras National Seashore said in a news release.

Investigators say it happened the afternoon of Wednesday, June 15, “on an oceanside beach across from Sandy Bay on Hatteras Island.”

“A 66-year-old male collapsed on the beach after being rescued from the ocean by bystanders. The bystanders immediately began CPR efforts,” officials said. “After arriving at the scene ... Dare County Emergency Medical Services continued CPR, which was not successful.”

Investigators are calling his death a “medical-related incident,” rather than a drowning.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is located in treacherous waters off North Carolina, where Atlantic currents from the north and south collide.

Localized rip currents are known to trap swimmers near beaches and quickly pull them out to sea. The phenomenon is often cited as a cause for drownings off the coast.

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Outer Banks tourists pull struggling swimmer from ocean only to see him die on beach."