Deadly beach currents claim 2 lives in Volusia County, dozens others rescued

Deadly beach rip currents claim 2 lives

Deadly rip currents in Volusia County have claimed the lives of two, while 45 others had to be rescued from the ocean on Friday

Two people died after getting caught in rip currents in Daytona Beach and Daytona Beach Shores Thursday and Friday, while dozens had to be rescued from the ocean due to strong rip currents.

The first incident involved three people swimming from Lakeland who were caught in a rip current in the 1600 block south of Daytona Beach, in an unguarded area, beach officials said.

When Beach Safety arrived at the scene, two of them had made it to the shore, while beach safety pulled the third person struggling in the water back to shore.

The two who made it back to shore survived, while the third person died at the hospital Friday afternoon.

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The second incident happened Thursday and involved a man in his 70s at Daytona Beach Shores.

Beach officials said around 2 p.m. an unknown person pulled a man from the water in an unguarded area at 2625 south of Daytona Beach Shores.

Beach Safety responded and performed CPR, along with Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety. The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

As Tropical Storm Arlene moves through the Gulf of Mexico, rip current risks on Florida's east coast beaches are a concern. Volusia County Beach Safety said they are expecting very hazardous rip current conditions going into the weekend.