Marinna Khon, an information management and technology major who graduated from Syracuse University this May, was swept off a Plum Island sandbar Tuesday and lost in the Merrimack River, said Lt. Richard Siemasko of the Newburyport Police Department.

Khon and seven other individuals were swept away after swimming off the edge of the sandbar in Massachusetts, Siemasko said. The seven others were later rescued. The Coast Guard received a call at 5:13 p.m. Tuesday evening, said Petty Officer Connie Terrell of the Coast Guard’s Office of Public Affairs. 

The Coast Guard, state and local police, environmental police and harbormaster have been searching for Khon since Tuesday evening. The Coast Guard called off the search, presuming Khon had drowned, at 9:22 p.m. on Wednesday evening, Terrell said.

‘The Coast Guard only searches for people we still believe are alive,’ she said.

People boating on the river rescued the other seven individuals, but were unable to rescue Khon, Terrell said.

‘People on the boat were the ones that plucked the folks out of the water,’ Siemasko said. ‘If not for them, there definitely would have been more tragedies.’

The water in the area can range from just a few feet deep to as much as 60 feet deep, he said.

‘They probably went out on low tide,’ she said. ‘When high tide came in there was a strong current, and it swept all of the eight people away.’

The Coast Guard determines how long a person can survive based on a series of criteria including what the person is wearing and the temperature of the water, Terrell said. Khon wore no life jacket and her chances of survival were low due to the manner in which she was swept off the sandbar and the cool water temperatures, Terrell said.

The Coast Guard has also ended its search, but it will assist local and state police who will continue to search for Khon, Siemasko said.

The sandbar where the incident occurred formed over the winter. Terrell said she was not sure of other cases in which people were swept off the sandbar, but said the area has strong currents that become stronger during high tide. The Coast Guard recommends that people stay off sandbars because of the strong currents, Terrell said.

Swimming is not allowed near the sandbar and there are warnings posted in the parking lots, Siemasko said.

lgleveil@syr.edu

Published on May 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille