According to North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue, a man was found dead in the ocean Thursday night. The rip currents from tropical storm Idalia caused the city to put up red flag warnings all day.
Antwan Jones, 44, a vacationer from Indianapolis, was found more than two hours after he was last seen, four blocks south of where he was last seen. This was the only drowning related to Idalia during the weather event.
At 7:30 p.m., civilians pulled a female swimmer to shore near 405 S. Ocean Blvd. She was semi-responsive. The fire department was then informed that a male swimmer was missing as well. According to North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue, the woman was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
The North Myrtle Beach Fire Department, NMBPD, NMB Ocean Rescue, NMB Rescue Squad, Horry County Fire Rescue, Horry County Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources began a joint search and rescue effort. Drones equipped with flashlights and thermal imaging were used during the search, which began at 7:30 p.m.
Since Tropical Storm Idalia passed through the Grand Strand Wednesday night, the area has been at high risk of rip currents. Due to tropical storm impacts, the U.S. Coast Guard urged those in the mid-atlantic to exercise extreme caution when going into the water this Labor Day weekend.