Four tourists drown off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic and two others rescued

Four tourists drown off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic and two others rescued

SANTO DOMINGO — Four tourists have drowned off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic near the popular tourist town of Punta Cana.

Civil Defense officials said the victims include two Polish citizens and a man from Portugal, with a fourth body recovered on Saturday. At least two other people were rescued.

The drownings happened Friday at a beach where a red flag warned of strong currents and rough seas.

Dominican media reported that the tourists were swimming during high tide when they were caught in strong rip currents, making rescue efforts impossible.

Local authorities recovered the bodies of three Polish victims. They are: 47-year-old Marcin Ch. and 52-year-old Sylwia A. and a third victim Jakub P., whose body was found Saturday evening, about 1,640 feet (500 meters) from the site of the original incident.

Emergency workers also found a 67-year-old Portuguese man and a man of Russian nationality who were pulled ashore after the tide receded.

Resuscitation efforts for the two Poles and the Portuguese man failed, while the Russian man was taken to hospital.

The Dominican Civil Defense confirmed that warnings had been issued prior to the accident, with red flags raised at the beach to signal hazardous conditions.

The tragedy unfolded at the Arena Gorda beach in Bavaro, a resort town popular with international visitors.

The beach, partially owned by the hotel where the tourists were staying, had been flagged as dangerous due to high waves, according to a hotel statement.

Dominican police said they are investigating the incident.