A man and woman from California were vacationing in Hawaii last week when they drowned off the coast of Maui, according to local authorities.
The victims, both in their 40s,died on Thursdayfollowing the incident near Keanae Landing, according to a statement from the Maui Fire Department shared Sunday on Facebook.
The female victim jumped in after him, but both individuals found themselves “in distress” as they battled 6-to-8-foot waves, per the department.
The male victim was “unresponsive” as he was pulled from the water from an air rescue crew, according to the MFD. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims of Thursday’s incident have not been identified.
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Kupa’a was quick to react after learning of the victims in distress, according to Hawaii News Now.
There were multiple tourists in the area who helped point out exactly where the female victim was in the water, he told the outlet.
“The waves were so big and the current was kind of pulling me away from shore,” Kupa’a said. “I had to try, pull her with my arm onto my board and then make my way back in.”
Kupa’a’s father Kelly Luat-Hueu and other family members have sinceplaced caution tapearound the area where Thursday’s incident occurred, according to Hawaii News Now.
The Luat-Hueu family hopes visitors will now heed warnings about venturing onto the rocks and into the ocean at Keanae Landing, as this is not the first time an incident like this has occurred.
“Respect the locals, respect the people and if we’re telling you something, listen, because we know this place,” Kupa’a said.
“And if you’re not going to respect us, you better respect the ocean,” he added.
source: people.com
