While the loved ones of the Massachusetts man who was swept away by the current on a beach in Puerto Rico are still trying to process the tragedy, authorities and rescuers are hopeful that they will be able to find him soon given the improvement in sea conditions.
Jesús Márquez, mayor of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, told NBC10 Boston that the entire community is dismayed by the incident, which involves a young couple who were not only vacationing on the Island, but were also getting engaged soon.
“They were a couple of six years who were going to get engaged in Luquillo when the tragedy surprised them,” said Márquez. “And the Coast Guard, the state of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Emergency Management have been searching, everyone has been constantly searching.”
Samuel Maturi Wanjiru, 26, was enjoying the popular La Pared beach in Luquillo with his partner when he was apparently swept away by the current around 3:58 p.m. Wednesday. His partner told authorities he was standing on the reef and the waves knocked him into the sea.
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The mayor said Wanjiru, a U.S. Marine, was not completely submerged in the water and his girlfriend tried to help him, but her attempt was unsuccessful.
“The information I have is that they were walking in water up to their waists and in that area, there are some shallow parts, and he stepped into a deeper area. He sinks, she tries to grab him, but he was caught by the current and fell. The volunteers who were in the area tried to get closer, but there was no visibility,” explained Márquez.
The weather conditions that have impacted the area since the incident have caused many problems and there are currents that raise sand and create turbidity, so the search was briefly stopped Thursday because experts had only two feet of visibility, the mayor said.
“In the area where he was submerged by the currents, there are cays and reefs, which it is understood that he could be trapped in a reef, however, today (Friday) the conditions appear to be better because there is greater clarity in the water. So we will continue with the search because the conditions are now more favorable,” he explained.
Márquez also shared that the girlfriend and her family, who are Puerto Rican, have remained in place waiting for news.
The mayor said she is “emotionally very affected” and she declined medical attention at a hospital.
She has been at the scene since Wednesday in a tent that operates as a command center and in which officers placed a flyer with Wanjiru's photo, which identifies him as a soldier.
“The city of Luquillo is dismayed by the disappearance of this young soldier and we make a call because, although Luquillo can be enjoyed as a tourist, when entering the water, the necessary precautions must be followed, and although the authorities are vigilant, we achieved more results by being cautious when entering the water,” the mayor said.
