Three siblings, aged 7 to 13, drown in sea during family trip to beach, fourth child rescued by onlooker
Tragedy struck a family that lost three children in a drowning accident when they were on a trip to the beach. The children drowned as they swam past the safety buoys into the rough waters of the Sylvan Beach in La Porte, Texas. Witnesses said a boat that was sailing past caused a large wave that overcame the siblings, reported the Mirror.
The bodies of seven-year-old boy Zion Hines, his 10-year-old brother Zakai Hunter, and their 13-year-old sister Zania Hunter were pulled out of the waters. Their grandmother Valerie Hines said it felt as if her heart was taken away from her chest, reported on ABC13.
Valerie told reporters that the children were planning to spend the weekend at her house before they got ready for school. But the parents had other plans and they decided to take the kids to the beach. She fell unconscious when she heard of the news after which she was rushed to a hospital. "Just imagining the kids being in distress and couldn't really save themselves or pull themselves out of the water," she was quoted as saying by ABC13.
The fourth sibling, C.J. Hines, was saved by an onlooker who dived into the rough waters. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales tweeted throughout the horrific incident, urging people to "keep the children in their prayers."
The body of the third child could not be recovered initially. A uniformed command was set up and the body was subsequently pulled out.
Sheriff Ed Gonzales said he had "no words" following the tragedy.