Crime & Safety
Couple Swept Away Off Jamestown Identified: DEM
The man and woman were from Quincy, Mass. They died after a wave swept the woman off the rocks, and the man jumped in and tried to save her.
JAMESTOWN, RI — The two people who died Sunday in the water off Fort Wetherill in Jamestown have been identified, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said. Kongjuan Wei, 51, and Xianzan Tan, 52, of Quincy, Mass., were pronounced dead at Newport Hospital after the Coast Guard and Newport and Jamestown firefighters pulled their bodies from the surf.
According to the press release, Yongjian Chen, 20, called 911 after other fishermen told him they saw Wei hit by a large wave. She was pulled into the water. Witnesses also said Tan tried to rescue her. Both were still alive when Chen arrived, the DEM said.
"Chen arrived to see Tan struggling to swim and Wei slightly farther out in the water. Chen said he saw Tan swimming for about five minutes before appearing to lose consciousness," the DEM said. "Soon after, both Chen and the initial witnesses lost sight of both victims."
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