BAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Georgia woman reportedly drowned this week while swimming in the Panama City Beach area.
The Bay County, Florida Sheriff's Office posted Monday that the beaches were closed after a "woman was pulled from the water onto the sand behind Rick Seltzer Park" then taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
The local newspaper, the Panama City News Herald, later reported the sheriff's office confirmed that she was a 48-year-old woman from Georgia who had been visiting the area with her family.
The identity of the woman, and where in Georgia she was visiting from, have not been released.
The paper reported the family got caught in a rip current while swimming, with lifeguards jumping into to pull them out of the water.
The sheriff's office pots on Facebook said deputies were "pulling distressed swimmers out of Gulf waters" on Monday. A double red flag condition had been in place that day.
"There have been two cell phone alerts sent to anyone in the beaches area today to warn of strong currents and that the water is closed to swimmers with the posting of double red flags," the sheriff's office post warned. "Also, the flags were changed on the flag poles as fast as was possible with most deputies on the sand performing water rescues as conditions worsened quickly. Additional deputies were called to the sand to assist in water rescue and changing the flags. New signs warning of dangerous swimming conditions have also been posted along the water’s edge. There has been one fatality today attributed to water conditions."
The post continued by asking people to "please stay out of the water."
"Not only do swimmers place themselves in danger but also first responders that enter the water to save them, and well-meaning citizens who try to rescue distressed swimmers and become overwhelmed themselves," it stated. "Those who enter the water can receive a fine of $500 and can be arrested. Stay out of the water."
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