Matthew Smith Death – The Massachusetts man who drowned in Rhode Island beach on Sunday has been identified by the authorities as 64-year-old Matthew Smith.
This release was made on Monday, July 13, 2020.
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The U.S Coast Guard helicopter spotted Smith’s body on Monday morning after he was reported missing on Sunday night about a half-mile off Scarborough State Beach in Narragansett, says the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Petty Officer Briana Carter told MassLive, around 9.pm on Sunday, Coast Guard crews and local authorities began searching for Smith
The Coast Guard continued in their search overnight while the local authorities suspended theirs and then resumed at 5.am on Monday morning, says the authorities.
Only waist-deep swimming was allowed at state beaches Sunday due to the strong surf and riptides caused by Tropical Storm Fay, which swept through Rhode Island on Friday and Saturday.
According to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, “Lifeguards at Scarborough made several rescues near Black Point throughout the day. At one point, beach managers restricted swimming to knee-deep.”
The missing swimmer was spotted by the helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod around 7:15 a.m. and was then rescued by members of the Narragansett Bay Task Force, says the officials.
According to the tweet of the Coast Guard 1st District “The individual was recovered unresponsive by local authorities.
Authorities believes that the strong current may have been a factor in the Smith’s drowning.
The Petty Officer Carter says: “There was the recent Tropical Storm Fay that resulted in some rip currents, but it’s unclear whether that led him to be washed away from shore.”