2 People Drown Off Maui Coast After Woman Jumps In To Rescue Man

A woman and man visiting Hawaii from California died after drowning off the Maui coast.

The tragic incident took place at 12:30 p.m. Thursday when a 40-year-old man fell into the water near Keanae landing. The woman, 42, immediately jumped into the water to rescue him. However, she soon displayed signs of water distress, according to Maui Fire Department officials, as reported by HawaiiNewsNow.

A do-gooder, identified as Kupaa Luat-Hueu, rushed to help the two victims after being alerted by a bunch of tourists who witnessed the incident unfold.

"A bunch of tourists all around, yelling and point us to where she was," Luat-Hueu said. "And I just put on my fins, my bodyboard, jumped into the water."

Authorities said the water was choppy at the time of the incident, measuring the waves at about 8 feet. Luat-Hueu concured as he recalled waddling through rough waters when he jumped to rescue the two victims.

"The waves were so big and the current was kind of pulling me away from shore, I had to try, pull her with my arm onto my board and then make my way back in," Luat-Hueu said, according to the outlet.

He was able to bring the woman back to shore. She was declared dead moments later after medics failed to revive her through CPR.

Firefighters used an Air 1 helicopter to locate the man, who was found unresponsive in the water, a local report said. Medics pronounced him dead after he was extracted from the waters and brought back to the shore.

The identities of the victims were not revealed by the authorities. Other details of the drownings were not clear.

This year reportedly hasn't been favorable for beachgoers in Hawaii. In May, authorities closed down three beaches in the island state after a French woman, 51, was bitten by a shark. She was brought to the shore by witnesses and given first-aid before the arrival of the paramedics. She was then transported to a hospital in critical condition after sustaining a "serious" shark bite. According to a statement by Maui police, she was swimming approximately 100 feet from the shore before the incident.