The sea in Tiên Hải Commune, An Giang Province. — Photo nld.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — The People’s Committee of Tiên Hải Commune, the southern province of An Giang, on Sunday confirmed the incident in which two visitors died while swimming in the local sea area.

According to initial information, at around 1:30pm on Saturday, L.T.T.V. (19 years old) and her younger sister P.T.T.V. (14 years old), residents of Hòa Hưng Commune, An Giang Province, went on a trip with relatives to Hòn Tre Hamlet, Tiên Hải Commune. The group brought along an inflatable standup paddleboard.

After about 30 minutes in the water, most of the group returned to shore, leaving four people still at sea. At that time, the two cousins sat on the paddleboard, pushed by a 15-year-old boy, while another young man watched from the shore.

A short while later, the boy lost grip, and the paddleboard drifted further out. The two sisters tried to swim back to shore but were struck by a large wave that overturned the board, throwing them into the sea.

The boy accompanying them rushed ashore for help. Shortly after, L.T.T.V. was found unconscious and unresponsive. About an hour later, rescuers located P.T.T.V. Both victims were taken to a local medical station but could not be revived. — VNS