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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, January 21, 2005

Two drown off Maui in unrelated cases

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

KA'ANAPALI, Maui — Two people drowned in waters off the same West Maui beach at roughly the same time yesterday in what authorities described as unrelated incidents.

"It was a fluke," said Maui Fire Capt. Rex Takushi of Napali Fire Station.

The first call described a body floating near Black Rock on Ka'anapali Beach at 2:43 p.m. Authorities found the body of a man in his late 40s or early 50s wearing only a pair of shorts, a wedding ring and no identification. There was no sign of foul play.

"We're hoping somebody who knows this guy will call us," said Maui police Lt. Victor Ramos.

The second call was at 2:55 p.m. about a quarter-mile away near the Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas.

Scuba diver Troy Bangs, a 53-year-old tourist from Sacramento, Calif., died despite repeated efforts to revive him with CPR, officials said.

Bangs was on a diving expedition and apparently changed his mind and started swimming to shore, Ramos said. Before he got there, he apparently blacked out. Beachgoers pulled him from the surf and tried to revive him before fire crews and paramedics arrived.

Officials said ocean conditions were not severe yesterday.

"There were small shore breakers and lots of people in the water," Ramos said.

Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.