- Between June 20 and 23, 2023, three people drowned during rip currents off the coast of Alabama.
- A firefighter from Georgia was killed while trying to rescue his child from a rip current.
- There have been six drowning deaths due to the deadly currents in Panama City Beach, Florida, since mid-June.
A firefighter from Georgia and two fathers who drowned while trying to save their children are among at least 10 recent victims of dangerous rip currents along Gulf of Mexico beaches stretching across Florida’s Panhandle to Mobile, Alabama.
Many of the deaths happened on days with double red flags — which are posted at beach entrances and on lifeguard stations to warn beachgoers of potential rip currents. Since mid-June, there have been six deaths around Panama City Beach in Florida.
Nearby, in Destin, Florida, ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett, 35, drowned Tuesday, but local officials said rip currents weren’t observed — and that day, yellow caution flags, not double red flags, were flying at the beach.
Three people drowned off the coast of Alabama between June 20 and June 23, according to the Gulf Shores Police Department.
The Gulf of Mexico’s white sandy beaches are a draw for tourists, and as the busy Fourth of July holiday approaches, officials are hoping beachgoers will take extra precaution.
‘NO RIP CURRENTS’ INVOLVED IN RYAN MALLETT’S DROWNING AT DESTIN BEACH, OFFICIALS SAY
“I’m beyond frustrated at the situation that we have with tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford wrote in a Facebook post, accompanied by an aerial view that shows deep trenches that rip currents dug into the shoreline along Panama City Beach. “I have watched while deputies, firefighters and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on Father’s Day.”
Ford says his deputies have been cursed at as they’ve tried to warn visitors of the “life-threatening dangers”…
Read the full article here
