WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C (WFMY)-- It has been a sad day at North Carolina beaches after reports of three separate drownings.
Officials confirm that three people died after drowning at Holden Beach, Sunset Beach and Wrightsville Beach. Media reports indicated that all three victims were men.
The first reported drowning happened at Wrightsville Beach around 11 a.m. A lifeguard stationed, just south of Johnnie Mercers Pier, noticed a man in distress in the water and immediately went in to rescue him, Wrightsville Fire chief, Glen Rogers told the Wilmington Star-News. Rescuers performed CPR on the man but it was unsuccessful, the paper reports.
The second reported drowning was at Sunset Beach sometime before 2 p.m. A man drowned while he was trying to help another troubled swimmer, reports say.
The third reported drowning happened around 2:15 p.m., when a 20-year-old man died at Holden Beach, just east of the fishing pier, after he reportedly got caught in rip currents, the newspaper reports. Sunday, the paper identified the man as Patryck A. Bass. Emergency responders say a surfer pulled Bass from the water, but he died at the hospital.
The surfer was treated for exhaustion, the paper reports.