Officials are urging people to be cautious in the water during the ongoing heat wave after a series of recent drownings in Massachusetts.
Over the weekend alone, two minors were hospitalized and two people died.
A minor, whose name was withheld, had no pulse when he was pulled out of the water at Lake Gardner Beach in Amesbury at approximately 3:51 p.m., according to police.
Paramedics performed CPR and took the boy to Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport. Police said emergency room personnel were able to reestablish a pulse before the victim was transported to a Boston-area hospital via Boston MedFlight.
The other minor, a 17-year-old boy, is believed to have been in critical condition Sunday after nearly drowning at a graduation party in Dedham. Local police are investigating.
A 19-year-old man died after trying to retrieve a ball from the water on Mound Street Beach in Quincy on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Police identified the victim as Elissandro Silva of Brockton.
Police are also investigating the death of a man who was found unconscious by a jet ski at White Island Pond in Plymouth shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday. Authorities have not released his name and no other information was immediately available.
While people try to stay cool as the oppressive heat continues for the next few days, the Baker administration issued safety guidelines for the summer last week to keep in mind.
Safe swimming
- Staying in shallow water
- Wear a life jacket
- Don’t swim alone
- Swim in designated areas
- Avoid strong currents
The deaths and near-drownings over the weekend are the latest in a series in Massachusetts in recent weeks.
On Friday, Worcester Police Officer Enmanuel ‘Manny’ Familia drowned after entering the water to rescue a 14-year-old boy. The teenager also died.
Less than 10 days ago, on May 27, a 39-year-old Quincy man who was with his son at Houghton’s Pond in Milton drowned while trying to retrieve a soccer ball that had fallen into the water.
The day before that, on May 26, a Framingham teenager died after being taken out of Learned Pond. The 16-year-old boy was swinging on a rope swing and jumping into the pond when he sank.
And on May 15, two cousins, ages 12 and 13, drowned at DW Field Park in Brockton. They were jumping rocks near Waldo Lake and couldn’t swim.
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