Authorities fear a U.S. citizen drowned Sunday morning in the southwestern Osa Cantón.
Ravit Thekurdeen, 19, disappeared in strong surf at the Southern Zone’s Playa Tortuga at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Thekurdeen was one of two swimmers swept away by a riptide while swimming in the waters. An immediate search began for the teenager when he didn’t turn up after the wave passed. Another swimmer tried to rescue Thekurdeen but nearly drowned attempting to find him.
Local police, the Red Cross and the Coast Guard are searching the area where Thekurdeen was swimming, but so far have not located his body.
Thackurdeen is a chemistry and pre-med student at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in the U.S. A press release from the university said Thackurdeen’s family was alerted to the incident Sunday afternoon. According to the statement, Thackurdeen was spending a semester abroad in Costa Rica as part of the Organization for Tropical Studies/Duke University’s Global Health program.
