Teen sisters die after being pulled from Coney Island water
NEW YORK -- Two teenage sisters, pulled from the water in Coney Island, have been pronounced dead.
The siblings, 17 and 18, went into the water Friday at around 8 p.m., after lifeguards were off duty.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene with boats and divers.
After about 90 minutes, the girls were pulled from the water and rushed to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead just after 10 p.m. Their names were not immediately released.
"I saw a lot of cops and firemen running towards the situation, and then the next thing you know, the family of the victims they go to the same area but were told to go to the boardwalk," witness Danny Quinones said. "It's a very tragic event."
Initially, authorities believed they were searching for three people, but it turned out no one else was missing in the water.
Officials have repeatedly cautioned beachgoers to stay out of the water unless lifeguards are on duty.
Teenage boys rescued from same beach
Less than 24 hours later, two teenage boys had to be pulled out of the water at the same beach near West 22nd.
Police said the boys, 14 and 16, went into the water just after 6 p.m. Saturday, when lifeguards were already done for the day.
According to police, the younger boy declined medical attention and the older one was taken to Coney Island Hospital in stable condition.
The beach was crowded with families trying to cool down on an uncomfortably humid summer day. Many had suspicions about what happened once they saw first responders.
"There were two fire ... trucks right there. One went this way, then the second one came, then the helicopter came and we already knew," said Jacqueline Cintron, from Pennsylvania.
"The moment we saw the chopper, we said it ... We knew that something happened," said Marilyn Pastoriza, from Tampa.
"I just try to watch out for the rip currents because they will push you back very hard, and it's hard to get through it," Quinones said.
Swim safety in focus in NYC
Just two weeks ago, teenagers Elyjha Chandler and Christian Perkins died after they disappeared in a wave at Jacob Riis Beach. Authorities spent days searching for them. Their deaths prompted Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and other leaders to call for changes to improve safety at New York City beaches.
One proposal called for extending lifeguard hours, but the Parks Department said that would create new problems, since lifeguards spend hours in the sun and, "the job is extremely susceptible to exhaustion and fatigue... adding more more hours to their regular hours would put undue stress on them and would inhibit their ability to properly surveil the beaches and keep beachgoers safe."