RALEIGH, N.C. — A Sanford man drowned while trying to save children in the ocean at Fort Fisher Saturday, according to the Raleigh CBS Affiliate, WNCN.
There were also more than 130 rip current rescues at North Carolina beaches over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The man who drowned was 58 years old and died after life-saving efforts were performed immediately in the water and on land, the weather service said.
The man was from Sanford, according to Jeffrey T. Owen, the park superintendent for Fort Fisher State Recreation Area.
Owen confirmed with WNCN the incident happened at four-wheel-drive beach around 2 p.m. Saturday when there was a report of seven people in the surf who needed to be rescued.
Seven of the victims were rescued, he said.
There were 87 rip current rescues that same day including 61 at Carolina Beach, 15 at Wrightsville Beach and 11 at Kure Beach.
On Sunday, there were more rescues at North Carolina beaches with 72 at Carolina Beach, 17 at Kure Beach, and 12 at Wrightsville Beach, according to the weather service.
There is also a moderate risk for rip currents from 6 a.m. Monday through the evening in southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina.
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