Overview
- Local authorities say a swimmer who helped a young girl caught in a rip current near 10th Avenue South was pulled underwater and has not been located.
- The incident happened after lifeguards had gone off duty, and Myrtle Beach police and fire crews increased their presence as they searched the surf.
- Officials have called in the U.S. Coast Guard and witnesses reported a helicopter conducting grid searches with spotlight and thermal equipment along the shoreline.
- The missing swimmer’s name and condition have not been released and eyewitness descriptions, including reports the rescuer was male, remain unconfirmed by police.
- Rip currents are fast-moving and common hazards that raise the risk to both swimmers and would-be rescuers, especially outside lifeguarded hours, and authorities continue searching for the missing person.