A sixth grade student from Harlem was caught in a rip current and drowned today during a school trip to Long Beach, school officials said.
The girl, 12, went missing earlier in the day and was pulled from the water by the Long Beach Police. She was rescued an hour and twenty minutes after she disappeared, Newsday reports.
She was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The girl was a student at Harlem's Columbia Secondary School. "A tragic event has occured today," Principal Jose Maldonado said in an email to students and parents. "A bereavement support team [is] arriving soon; the entire school is in the auditorium."
"All school events are canceled as we come to terms with this tragedy," the email reads.
A teacher reportedly jumped into the water to try and rescue the girl.
She was one of 24 students and three teachers from on the trip to the beach, reports Newsday.
There were no lifeguards on duty at the time; Long Beach City Manager Charles Theofan said that signs with this information were posted which warned swimmers to stay out of the water.
Local
There were no lifeguards on duty at the time. The teachers were apparently responsible for the students’ safety.
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