Body of missing swimmer discovered at beach after warning issued

04 September 2023 , 19:52

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Richard Boateng went missing at 5.45 pm on September 3 (Image: Rehoboth Police Department)

The body of a missing swimmer, who caused a massive search along the coast the evening before, washed ashore Monday. The search came to an official stop at 6am.

Richard Boateng, 31, went missing at 5.45 pm on the day before off the beach near Rehoboth Ave in Delaware, according to a news release from the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.

Life guards who were off duty rushed to the beach to conduct a line search. The The United States Coast Guard, Delaware State Police and Division of Fish and Wildlife were on the scene to help with the search. Richard's body was eventually found on North Shores beach, which is a small community neat of Rehoboth, according to USA Today.

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Richard's disappearance caused a massive search along the coast (X)

On September 1, the coast guard issued a warning to swimmers and boaters, telling them not to enter the water because of rip tides He said the conditions of the waters over the Labor day weekend would be stronger than any olympic swimmer, according to USA Today.

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."Think twice before you go in the water this weekend, whether surfing, kiteboarding, or boating," Capt. Jennifer Stockwell, commander of Coast Guard Sector Virginia, said in a statement. "If you do, monitor trusted weather sources, know your limits, and plan for emergencies."

Dangerous rip tides have killed 57 swimmers on beaches in the US, according to preliminary information from the National Weather Service. The Bay County Sheriff's office made a Facebook post to deter swimmers from trying their luck in the waters. It read:

“You say you are a 'good' swimmer, an experienced swimmer, a competitive swimmer. But you are no match for a rip current,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the social media post.

The coast guard warned the communiy about rip tides over the Labor day weekend (X)

Many of the people who were killed died while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. These include the 13 deaths that were along the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Weather Service. Over a course of 10 days in the summer, rip currents were said to have killed seven swimmers in Panama City Beach, Which was the highest number of fatalities for a single location, according to USA Today.

A rip tide is a strong, narrow current that flows completely opposite the shoreline. It typically moves water away from the surf and ito the ocean. They are usually no wider than 80 ft and can travel about one to two feet per second. However, rip currents have been recorded to reach 8 feet per second, which is 5.5 miles per hour; that's faster than any Olympic swimmer.

Mataeo Smith