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US tourist drowns off Guanacaste beach

Update, Tuesday, June 20, 12 p.m.: The Costa Rican Coast Guard in Flamingo told The Tico Times that Mr. White’s body was found near Isla de Plata. The Judicial Investigation Police, through a spokesperson, verified the cause of death as an accidental drowning.

Original story continues here:

Correction, Monday, June 29, 2015: The article orginally misreported the deceased’s name as Gary Douglas White based on information obtained from the Teletica news network. However, the National Coast Guard Service in Flamingo Beach today clarified that the drowned man’s name is Douglas White. We regret the error. 

The National Coast Guard Service on Saturday recovered the body of a 52-year-old U.S. tourist who drowned while swimming off Flamingo Beach, in the province of Guanacaste, the Teletica news network reported.

The man, identified as Douglas White, was swimming around the nearby Plata Island when he drowned, according to reports.

The Coast Guard reportedly received an emergency phone call indicating that a person who had been swimming was no longer visible. They proceeded to launch a patrolling operation Saturday and recovered White’s body.

The Coast Guard has warned visitors to the country’s beaches to exercise caution, particularly now that the mid-year tourist season is approaching, according to Teletica.

White is the third U.S. tourist to drown in a Costa Rican beach over the last month.

Recommended: Drownings in Costa Rica spur experts to call for more lifeguards

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