Father drowns saving 3 daughters from rip current at NC beach

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. — Authorities say a father from Tennessee has drowned after trying to save his three daughters from a rip current off the North Carolina coast.

Meanwhile, there's a search farther down the coast for a missing swimmer.

The Atlantic Beach Fire Department said in a news release that someone in a passing boat was able to save the girls Monday afternoon, but could not rescue 35-year-old Rick Brown before he lost consciousness.

Paramedics attempted CPR on Brown, but could not resuscitate him. Brown was on vacation from his Piney Flats, Tennessee, home.

In Wrightsville Beach, about 100 miles farther down the coast, Police Chief Dan House tells local media outlets a man was reported missing after going swimming on Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard suspended their search Thursday.

A Coast Guard statement says a helicopter and a 45-foot Coast Guard boat searched along the beach Wednesday without finding 58-year-old Charles Kuebler after 37 hours of looking.

Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House says that 58-year-old Wilmington businessman was last seen heading to the beach on Tuesday morning.

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