Two Nigerian teenage sisters have drowned while swimming at Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn, New York.
Aisha Mohammed, 18, and Zainab Mohammed, 17, originally from Nigeria but residing in the Bronx, were reported missing on the evening of July 5. They were last seen entering the water near Stillwell Avenue and Boardwalk West, according to the NYPD.
Around 8 p.m. on Friday, the sisters were swimming at Stillwell & Boardwalk West when they disappeared from view. Witnesses informed WABC-TV that a rainstorm began, prompting most beachgoers to seek shelter. However, the two young women entered the rough ocean water. A man attempted to stop them but was unable to swim himself, one witness said. It remains unclear if the man knew the sisters.
The sisters were spending the day at the beach with six cousins, a relative disclosed.
Emergency responders received a call for a water rescue around 8:10 p.m. Officers, along with emergency responders from the department’s aviation, harbor, and scuba units, arrived on the scene to conduct a search for the missing teens.
Divers eventually located and pulled both young women from the water an hour later. They were transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Coney Island, where they were pronounced dead.
The investigation into the tragedy is ongoing.
The funeral service for Aisha and Zainab Mohammed was held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, at the Yankasa Masjid Mosque.
