Two Men Die in Two Days at Rhode Island Beaches

In separate incidents, two men died on Rhode Island beaches early this week after entering the water.

Monday morning a body was recovered off Scarborough State Park Beach in Narragansett, wrapping up a search for a missing swimmer. A woman had reported Sunday evening that her 64-year-old companion did not return from his swim at Scarborough State Beach. The two had reportedly been on vacation together when he decided around 7 p.m. to take a swim while she walked her dog.

A multi-agency search commenced, which was called off at around 11 p.m. due to rough conditions. The search resumed at dawn, with a Coast Guard helicopter in the air. Locally, the Narragansett, Warwick, and East Greenwich fire departments assisted. The body of Matthew Smith of Fitchburg was retrieved around 7 a.m. by a Narragansett Fire Department boat after it was spotted by the Coast Guard.

The surf was high at Scarborough Beach that day with a rip current. The Department of Environmental Management had restricted swimming to waist-deep at state beaches following the arrival of a storm system. Lifeguards at state beaches had reportedly made several rescues throughout the day.

Tuesday afternoon a man was pulled from the water at Grinnell's Beach in Tiverton. The man from Bristol was rescued by beach-goers after he reportedly collapsed in the water around 4 p.m. Bystanders applied CPR before an ambulance arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at a local hospital.