COSTA RICA STAR NEWS BRIEF

A US man from Atlanta, Georgia drowned late Saturday afternoon after apparently succumbing to a powerful rip tide at Playa Domincalito on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast.

Authorities identified the victim as 33-year-old Brian Gum, who was vacationing in Costa Rica with friends.

Two of the man’s companions were able to escape with the assistance of other beachgoers, according to authorities, who identified one of the survivors as 38-year-old Dana Hileman.

Mr. Gum had apparently arrived in Costa Rica just hours before the incident.

There were some 100 fatal drownings in Costa Rica in 2015, most involving strong under currents known as rip tides.