Lawrence man drowns swimming off Hampton Beach

A 27-year-old Lawrence man drowned swimming off Hampton Beach in New Hampshire Tuesday evening, according to New Hampshire State Police.

Around 7:30 p.m., State Police were alerted to a possible drowning at the beach, they said in a press release. A good Samaritan, 23-year-old Salem, N.H., resident Casey Torname, told police he’d spotted two swimmers calling for help while he was surfing.

Torname told police he’d rescued one swimmer — 28-year-old Lawrence resident Luis Colon-De-Lara, the release said. But the other swimmer, Wandy Bethancourt-Adames, still hadn’t come to shore, he said.

Hampton firefighters responded and soon found Bethancourt-Adames in the water, the release said. They brought him to shore and performed CPR before taking him to a hospital where he was declared dead.

First responders also took Colon-De-Lara to a hospital. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities are still investigating the drowning. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Nicholas Haroutunian at (603) 227-2112 or at [email protected].