QCOSTARICA – A Canadian tourist identified by Costa Rica authorities as Andreal Bell, 70, and her 2 year-old niece, Jasmine Rodríguez Olching drowned Monday afternoon at Playa Hermosa de Santa Teresa, in Cóbano, on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.
The accident occurred just before 2:00pm.
Witnesses say that the woman entered the sea with her granddaugher and were swept away by the strong currents. Despite attempts to save the woman, efforts failed.
Bell was pronounced dead at the scene. The little girl was rushed to the local clinic (Ebais) in Cóbano where she died shortly after arrival, according to the Cruz Roja (Red Cross). The girl’s death was confirmed by Dr. Carlos Madison Sanchéz, Cóbano clinic coordinator.
The Canadian woman had arrived on the weekend to share some time with her granddaughter and her family. The little girl’s parents, a Costarian and a Canadian, live in Cóbano.
Experts at the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR) of the Universidad dde Costa Rica (UCR) last Friday warned that strong winds, high waves and choppy seas at several coastal areas, in the northern Pacific and Caribbean coasts.