Swimmers still missing after one washes up injured on Virginia Beach, officials say
A search is underway for two missing swimmers after one of their group washed up injured on Virginia Beach, officials told news outlets.
According to witnesses, a group of three males went into the ocean at night for a swim but were soon seen struggling to make it back to shore, Virginia Beach authorities told WVEC. Calls for help came in at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, city officials said.
When first responders arrived at the beach, they found one of the swimmers washed ashore, the station reported. They performed CPR on the swimmer, and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to officials.
Rescue crews, including the Coast Guard and local first responders, searched the waters by helicopter, drone and boat while "hundreds of onlookers" watched, but the two swimmers are still missing , WTKR reported.
Virginia Beach Ocean Rescue issued a warning about dangerous rip currents on Saturday morning and asked that beachgoers "stay out of the water" for their own safety, the station reported.
To make matters worse, lifeguards came down from their stands for the season just days earlier, The Virginian-Pilot reported.
It's possible the group simply couldn't see the danger they were plunging into, Tom Gill, Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service chief, told the newspaper.
"No one should be swimming at night," he said. "You can't see the power of the water."
The rescue operation officially ended Saturday night, and efforts are now focusing on recovery, the newspaper reported.
Officials did not comment on the ages or identities of the swimmers.
Virginia Beach is a roughly 20-mile drive east from downtown Norfolk.
