Coast Guard Urges Caution Following 7 Deaths
NORFOLK, VA. (AP) -- The Coast Guard is urging caution among boaters this holiday weekend after reporting seven drownings in the Mid-Atlantic region in the past week.
The drownings occurred in Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina. The victims ranged from a 14-year-old boy who drowned in Virginia's Rappahannock River while walking along a sandbar to a 55-year-old man who fell overboard while crabbing in Maryland's Bush River.
Among others, drownings also occurred when boats capsized in Maryland and when someone fell while inner-tubing off Carolina Beach, N.C.
While the average number of boating related deaths has dropped regionally, trends show that numbers rise during the summer months.
The Coast Guard's regional command in Virginia urged boaters on Thursday to take safety courses and be aware of rip currents.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
