Rhode Island

Couple Who Died After Being Swept to Sea in RI Has Been Identified

Rhode Island officials have identified the Massachusetts couple who died after being swept into the sea while fishing off some rocks at a state park.

The Department of Environmental Management said Monday that 51-year-old Kongjuan Wei and 52-year-old Xianzan Tan were pronounced dead at Newport Hospital after being pulled from the waters off Fort Wetherill State Park in Jamestown by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Witnesses on Sunday morning said they saw a large wave knock Wei down onto the rocks and drag Wei into the water. Tan then jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue her.

The couple lived in Quincy, Massachusetts.

Environmental Police estimated waves in the range of six to eight feet, generated by Saturday's nor'easter, were breaking onto the ocean-facing coast of Jamestown.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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