Hammond teen in Grand Isle drowning identified; two relatives rescued
The teenager who drowned in Grand Isle over Memorial Day weekend has been identified as 17-year-old Oscar Gustavo Rivera Aguilar from Hammond, according to Grand Isle Police Chief Laine Landry.Landry said a 15-year-old boy and a 47-year-old woman who were relatives of the deceased teen had been rescued. The second teen was taken by Medevac to hospital in New Orleans while the woman was hospitalized locally.The incident happened around 6 p.m. on Sunday on the beachside of Andy P. Valence Memorial Bridge.The deceased and the two rescued were all part of a family party of a dozen that had traveled down for the Memorial Day weekend to fish and swim at the beach, Landry said.”On a normal day it’s safe to swim but conditions in the last few days have been conducive to strong undertows and rip currents, with strong southerly winds and two-foot tides,” Landry said.The Grande Isle Fire Department rescue boat was first on the scene, assisted by police.The deceased teen was the second fatality in Grand Isle so far this season, which picked up earlier than normal because of the coronavirus pandemic, Landry said. Sunday’s incident was the fourth rescue so far, with nine people rescued.The Memorial Day weekend was one of the busiest weekends seen this year, the chief said.”I just want to tell people to please wear life jackets and be safe,” Landry said. “The currents in the seas have been abnormally strong this year.”