WAINIHA — A 28-year-old male visitor died Saturday morning after being pulled from waters off Wainiha Bay Friday evening.
He has been identified as Bakir Shelesh of Glendale, Arizona.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday, first responders were dispatched to Wainiha Bay for a swimmer in distress. According to a preliminary report, Shelesh had been body boarding when he lost his board and was swept out into deeper water.
Kaua‘i Fire Department personnel from the Hanalei fire station, rescue personnel from Līhu‘e and Ocean Safety Bureau officers with the North Roving Patrol Unit responded to the scene. OSB lifeguards found the unresponsive man face down in the water and brought him to shore. They immediately began to administer CPR until American Medical Response medics arrived on scene and took over advanced resuscitation efforts.
AMR medics continued efforts while transporting the man to Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital. The man regained a pulse briefly but needed further treatment. He was transported to Wilcox Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died early Saturday morning.
An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death. Foul play is not suspected.
Volunteers with Life’s Bridges, a grief-counseling service, were contacted to offer support to the man’s family.
Source: The Garden Island
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