DESTIN, FLORIDA - Five people drowned and nearly 40 people were rescued Sunday from rough waters off this Florida Panhandle beach town, officials said.
Marietta Yakstis, 62, of Illinois, drowned at Eastern Lake; David Huang, 40, of Houston, drowned at Fort Panic at Dune Allen Beach; Larry LaMotte, 60, of Atlanta, drowned at Grayton Beach; and an unidentified fourth person, drowned at Blue Mountain Beach.
Maura Amos, of Sellersburg, Ind., was pulled from the churning surf along with a 9-year-old boy who is apparently her son, said Sgt. Rick Hord of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Amos was pronounced dead at Sacred Heart hospital, but the boy is expected to recover fully.
``We've had a very, very busy day,'' said Walton County Sheriff's Capt. Danny Glidewell. ``I've been here a long time, and I don't remember any day as bad as this.''
A sheriff's helicopter flew along the beach and warned people to stay out of the water. Red flags cautioning swimmers of dangerous conditions were flying Sunday after two days of stormy weather churned the surf.
In Walton County, at least 28 people were pulled from the water by officials with the Walton County Sheriff's Office and the South Walton Fire Department.
In neighboring Okaloosa County, at least 10 were rescued from the churning waters.
Amos, who is in her 20s or early 30s, and the boy, Michael Alexander, were traveling together on vacation, Hord said. Authorities called family members in Indiana, some of whom were en route to the hospital Sunday night, Hord said.
Thursday
June 19th, 2025
11:38PM
