NC teen girl dies in rip currents at Ocean Isle Beach; man drowns in ocean at Surf City

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (WNCN) — Two people have died in swimming-related incidents at the North Carolina coast since Sunday after this month started with more than 190 rip current rescues.

One death happened Sunday afternoon and was due to rip currents at Ocean Isle Beach in Brunswick County, according to the National Weather Service.

A teenage girl who died at Ocean Isle was caught in a rip current between 12:30 and 1 p.m., the weather service and WECT-TV reported.

The girl was a student at Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, the Morganton News-Herald reported. A school official said she was at the beach as part of a school robotics team trip.

The mayor of Ocean Isle Beach told WECT that three teens were caught in the rip current, but two were rescued. The girl’s name was not released Monday.

As recently as last Tuesday, there were 14 rip current rescues at various beaches in adjacent New Hanover County, the National Weather Service in Wilmington reported.

“I am heartbroken by this tragic news,” Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus told WGHP. “I want the family, and our Reynolds students and staff to know that our district will provide any support they need at this incredibly difficult time. Our prayers are with all of you, and we mourn this loss with you.”

The most recent ocean death on the North Carolina coast happened late Monday morning at Surf City in Pender County, according to the Surf City Fire Department. Just last week there were at least four rip current rescues at that beach, the National Weather Service said.

The Surf City call was just after 11:25 p.m. in the ocean near Beach Access No. 3 on N. Shore Drive.

Ocean Rescue crews found people on the beach trying to help a person in the water. The people were already involved in CPR with the victim and rescue workers continued those efforts, Surf City Fire officials said.

The victim, 57-year-old Minh Ha Nguyen of Richmond, Virginia, was later pronounced dead.

Over the four days of July 3 to July 6, there were nearly 200 people rescued from rip currents at the North Carolina coast.

According to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, in New Hanover County alone, there were over 190 rip current rescues over those days including the Independence Day holiday.

The first North Carolina rip current death happened earlier this month on July 4 at the Outer Banks, according to the National Weather Service. An 18-year-old man died in that incident at Nags Head and is one of 23 people who have died from rip currents in the United States this year, the weather service reported.

WNCT-TV contributed to this report