Two brothers and their sister drowned while swimming in the ocean off a Texas beach, as police suspect a passing boat may have caused the waves that caused the tragedy.
Four siblings and their parents from the Houston area were swimming at Sylvan Beach in LaPorte, Texas on Thursday when they began to struggle in the water.
The parents and their ten-year-old son were rescued from the water and brought back to shore by ‘Good Samaritans’, according to a statement by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office.
But the family’s 13-year-old daughter, 11-year-old son and seven-year-old son were swept away as beachgoers watched on in horror.
Three siblings drowned at Sylvan Beach in La Porte, Texas on Thursday after a wave overtook them around 7pm
Veronika Alvarez, 23, saw the family struggling in the strong current and jumped into the water to save the 10-year-old boy
Deputy Fabian Viruette from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was flagged down and alerted of a possible drowning.
When the deputy arrived to the scene around 7.28pm, it was chaos.
Sheriff Ed Gonzales told CW39, ‘It was very chaotic, there was a lot of people. He quickly found out there was not only one, but maybe multiple children that had gone under water.’
‘Everybody was screaming, yelling, But as law enforcement, we still got to act accordingly and try to figure everything out,’ Deputy Virtuette said.
Deputy Virtuette saw the body of one of the siblings floating close to shore and jumped in to save her.
‘Once we saw the body close to the shore, that was just instinct to get in and pull the body out, out of respect of the parents. (Instinct was) just to pull the baby out – 13 is still a baby – and try to get her ready to go home, I guess,’ he said.
Unfortunately, the girl did not survive.
The parents and 10-year-old boy were rescued with the help of Veronika Alvarez.
The 23-year-old was sitting on the beach with her dog when it began barking.
That’s when she saw the family of six grappling with the strong current, separated on either side of a jetty.
Only the oldest brother, 13, survived the ordeal when a 24-year-old woman rescued him from the water without help from authorities
‘I saw the parents were trying to grab them but then I saw the mom and dad go under. I just did a jump in the water… go straight for the boy drowning,’ Alvarez told ABC 13.
Alvarez noticed the mother also drowning, but decided the boy she had reached was the first responsibility.
Alvarez told reporters she didn’t realize at the time that there were multiple children in danger.
She said, “I thought the other hands I was feeling were the people around me. I didn’t know there were other kids going down. I would have tried my best. I found out at the hospital there were three other ones and I just started crying,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said didn’t even think before helping the family.
‘No one was responding, everyone was quick to grab their phones and I was like that’s not important. What’s important are the people that were drowning.’
She continued, “I know a life is a life. It depended on someone jumping in rather than everyone just standing.
The woman was taken to the local hospital and released overnight.
By 7.30pm, Sheriff Gonzalez announced two bodies had been retrieved. The final body, the seven-year-old boy, was found around 11pm.
The statement says, ‘Chambers County Justice of the Peace Larry Cryer pronounced all three children deceased at the scene and ordered autopsies to be conducted by the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office.’
The names of the victims will be released once ‘assurances have been made to take care of the family’ and immediate relatives are contacted.
Gonzalez said, ‘Our condolences on behalf of all of us that have been involved out here.’
Police are investigating the cause of the incident. It was initially thought the children had entered choppy water after passing a safety buoy, but police have also said it may have been a passing boat that created a large wave.
The case will be lead by the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and assisted by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez: ‘Our condolences on behalf of all of us that have been involved out here’