Freak Wave Kills 7-Year-Old Girl

NBC News: Waves from Hurricane Bill killed a 7-year-old girl in Maine after she, her father and a 12-year-old girl were among those swept into the water Sunday off Acadia National Park's Thunder Hole, where tourists often gather to watch waves crash into a crevasse and make a thundering sound while splashing high in the air.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the waves swept over 20 people. Chief Ranger Stuart West said 11 people were taken to the hospital, mainly for broken bones after being slammed onto the rocks.
"The case presented many risks which were mitigated with expert training of our crews, state of the art equipment, and time proven practices. While we saved two lives, we are heartbroken that the life of a young girl was lost," said Captain James McPherson, Sector Commander of Sector Northern New England.
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"On behalf of the Coast Guard, I offer my sincerest condolences to the family of the victim," McPherson concluded.
In New Smyrna Beach along the central Florida coast, a 54-year-old swimmer also died after he was washed ashore unconscious near rough waves fueled by Bill. The man, Angel Rosa of Orlando, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
After its deadly encounters, the remnants of Hurricane Bill moved out into the Atlantic, forecasters said Monday.
The system still had tropical-storm strength winds near 70 mph early Monday. Its center was about 190 miles off the coast of Newfoundland and is moving east-northeast near 43 mph. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predicted it would continue to weaken as it moves from the Canadian coast in the Atlantic.
Girl dies, another missing
At Acadia National Park, about 110 miles northeast of Portland, park officials said an estimated 10,000 people, lured by the wild ocean, converged on the park's loop road trying to get a good view of waves more than 15 feet high crashing against the rocky shore.
"The problem was there were thousands and thousands of people to try to keep an eye on," said Chief Ranger West.
The 7-year-old girl who died and her father are from New York City. The 12-year-old girl who also was swept into the churning, 55-degree (12.8-Celsius) water is from Belfast, Maine, and is not related to them, West said. He would not release their names.
A Thunder Hole viewing platform was closed, and they were among hundreds of people watching the waves from nearby rocks. Many people didn't even move when the waves splashed them and instead seemed to laugh it off, West said.
James Kaiser of nearby Bar Harbor was taking photographs when he heard shouts that people had been swept into the water.
A coast Guard boat rescues a storm watcher who was swept out to see off the coast of Maine.
"I could see two people's heads bobbing in the water," Kaiser said. He said he thought they would be bounced back to shore because the waves were coming in so hard but that instead the current took them away from shore.
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