Boy who died at Outer Banks is 5th NC beach death this month in menacing rip currents

COROLLA, N.C. (WNCN) — A boy died, while several other swimmers were rescued amid dangerous rip currents at the Outer Banks over the weekend, according to Currituck County officials.

The death is at least the fifth on the North Carolina coast just this month amid dangerous rip currents that have prompted hundreds of rescues.

The Corolla Beach incident happened Saturday just before 12:45 p.m. in the surf area near Persimmon Street, according to Ralph Melton, chief of Currituck County Chief of Fire-EMS.

Melton said that a group of swimmers were “in distress” while the National Weather Service said dangerous rip currents were active.

Just before 1 p.m. the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and sent an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Elizabeth City to the scene, according to the Outer Banks Voice.

Everyone in the group was rescued except for one boy, Melton said.

The boy who died was later recovered and identified as Amir Abou, 12, of Maryland, The Virginian Pilot reported.

The search effort involved the helicopter, which was called off the scene around 4 p.m., the U.S. Coast Guard said.

About 20 lifeguards and a jet ski were among 50 first responders helping to look for the boy, Melton told the newspaper.

Saturday was a “red flag” rip current day for all of the Outer Banks north of Buxton, the National Weather Service said. Such conditions mean life-threatening rip currents are likely, the weather service said.

A teen girl from Winston-Salem died when she was caught in rip currents on July 14 at Ocean Isle Beach along the southeast North Carolina coast in Brunswick County.

An 18-year-old man died after getting caught in a rip current in Nags Head on July 4, the National Weather Service said.

Also on July 4, a 22-year-old man drowned because of rip currents at Kure Beach — during a four-day stretch when there were many rescues at North Carolina beaches.

On July 15 at Surf City in Pender County, 57-year-old Minh Ha Nguyen of Richmond, Virginia, died after drowning during dangerous rip currents. His death has not yet been classified as due to rip currents, the National Weather Service said.

Over the four days of July 3 to July 6, there were nearly 200 people rescued from rip currents at the North Carolina coast.

— WAVY-TV contributed to this report

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