coast guard searching for missing swimmer

In Newburyport, Massachusetts, authorities are searching for the drowned body of 21-year-old Marina Kohn, who was enjoying an afternoon at the beach when she was caught in a rapidly rising tide and swept away into the Merrimack River on Tuesday: 7 saved; one lost.

Khon, who had just graduated from Syracuse University, spent Tuesday with several friends on the beach. They waded into knee-deep water off the northern tip of Plum Island and were swept into the river by a strong incoming tide. Seven were rescued by local boaters, but Khon disappeared:

With temperatures nearing 90, hundreds flocked to local beaches yesterday. Among them was Rahtana Ny, 27, of Lynn, and a group of his friends from the Lynn and Revere area who spent the better part of the day at the northernmost tip of Plum Island Point. Eight of his friends went out in the shallow water on a sandbar just offshore and were caught by the rising tide that pulled them away from shore.

"All of a sudden, everyone was screaming," he said.

He and three other people who were on the beach fishing went to help them, but the current was too strong. The Merrimack River narrows here as it spills into the sea, and notoriously fast and dangerous currents can develop quickly.

The Coast Guard's search, which was called off yesterday afternoon due to dangerous currents, will continue today. It's presumed that Marina Kohn will not be found alive. More here: Search to resume today.