Teenage sisters die after being pulled from Coney Island water

NEW YORK – Two teenage sisters pulled out of the water in Coney Island were declared dead.

The two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, entered the water around 8 p.m. on Friday evening after the lifeguards had finished their duty.

Rescue workers arrived at the scene with boats and divers.

The girls were pulled from the water in critical condition around 9:30 p.m. and taken to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m. Their names have not yet been released.

“I saw a lot of police and firefighters coming to the situation and then suddenly the victim’s family came and went to the same area but they told her to go to the boardwalk,” said witness Danny Quinones. “It’s a very tragic event.”

Authorities initially believed they were looking for a third person, but it turned out there was no third person in the water.

Officials have repeatedly warned beachgoers not to enter the water when lifeguards are not on duty.

Teenager rescued from the same beach

Less than 24 hours later, two teenagers had to be pulled from the water on the same beach near West 22nd Street.

According to police, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old boy entered the water around 6:10 p.m. on Saturday after lifeguards had finished their work for the day.

According to police, the 14-year-old refused medical attention and the 16-year-old was taken to Coney Island Hospital in stable condition.

The beach was swarming with families trying to cool off on the uncomfortably humid summer day. Many beachgoers said they suspected what had happened when they saw the rescue workers.

“There were two fire trucks. One was heading that way, then the second one came, then the helicopter came and we already knew what was going on,” said Jacqueline Cintron of Pennsylvania.

“The moment we saw the helicopter, we said so… We knew something had happened,” said Marilyn Pastoriza of Tampa.

“I just try to be careful of the rip currents because they push you back really hard and it’s hard to get through,” Quinones said.

Swimming safety in focus in NYC

Just two weeks ago, teenagers Elyjha Chandler and Christian Perkins died after disappearing in a wave at Jacob Riis Beach. Authorities searched for them for days. The deaths prompted Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and other politicians to Call for changes to improve safety on city beaches.

One of their suggestions was to extend the hours lifeguards are on duty at the beaches. However, the park administration stated that this would create new problems because these lifeguards already spend hours in the sun and “this job is extremely prone to exhaustion and fatigue… and extending their regular work hours would place unnecessary stress on them and impair their ability to adequately monitor the beaches and ensure the safety of beachgoers.”