Three die in Gulf of Mexico rip currents off Panama City Beach

Three people died in the Gulf of Mexico during severe conditions Saturday at Panama City Beach, Fla., officials said, bringing deaths there this year in surf zone incidents to a nationwide high of seven.

The three people died in separate “water incidents” in the Gulf of Mexico near three different resorts Saturday afternoon, the Panama City Beach Police Department said in a statement.

So far this year seven people have died in surf zone incidents at Panama City Beach, which is the most for any one U.S. location so far this year, according to a National Weather Service list.

All seven are listed by the National Weather Service as involving rip currents, which are powerful currents that can carry people away from shore.

The three who died Saturday were identified by police as Kimberly Ann Mckelvy Moore, 39, of Lithonia, Georgia; Morytt James Burden, 63, of Lithia Springs, Georgia; and Donald Wixon, 68, from Canton, Michigan.

Moore was rescued by lifeguards around noon and was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead; Burden died after being rescued shortly after 1 p.m.; and Wixon died after being rescued at 4:23 p.m., police said.

On Saturday there was what police described as severe conditions with “double red flags” warning of extreme danger, the police department said.

Florida this year leads the U.S. in surf zone deaths, with 27, according to the weather service list. Puerto Rico, with 13, had the second-most fatalities.

Rip currents are the leading hazard for beachgoers in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It's estimated that more than 100 deaths each year in the U.S. involve rip currents, and 80 percent of lifeguard rescues are for rip currents, the nonprofit United States Lifesaving Association has said.

Those caught in one should not swim against, but should swim parallel or at an angle towards shore, or yell for help, it says. It may also be possible to float or tread water until the current turns more towards shore.

“The safest place to be when you come to the beach is near a lifeguard,” Daryl Paul, beach safety director for Panama City Beach Fire Rescue, told NBC affiliate WJHG of Panama City. “And I will always pump that out. Swim near a lifeguard.”