Two Nigerian teenage sisters drowned while swimming at Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn, New York.
Aisha Mohammed, 18, and Zainab Mohammed, 17, who lived in the Bronx, were reported missing on the evening of July 5 after entering the water near Stillwell Avenue and Boardwalk West. According to the NYPD, the sisters disappeared around 8 p.m. while swimming.
Witnesses told WABC-TV that a rainstorm had begun, causing most beachgoers to seek shelter. Despite a man’s attempt to stop them, the sisters entered the rough waters. The man, who was unable to swim, did not appear to know them.
The sisters had been at the beach with six cousins, according to a relative.
An emergency call for a water rescue was made around 8:10 p.m. Police, along with aviation, harbor, and scuba units, arrived to search for the missing teens. Divers found the young women an hour later and pulled them from the water.
Both were transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Coney Island, where they were pronounced dead.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
A funeral service for Aisha and Zainab Mohammed was held on Tuesday, July 9, at 9:30 a.m. at the Yankasa Masjid Mosque.
