81-year-old woman dead after 3 people pulled by rip current off Provincetown beach

An 81-year-old woman is dead after three people were pulled by a rip current off a beach in Provincetown on Friday.

The call came in around 3 p.m. for three swimmers who were being pulled out to sea by the rip current off Herring Cove Beach near Hatches Harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard deployed a boat and a helicopter to help assist the Provincetown harbormaster, police, and fire department with the search. 

Two of the swimmers were rescued quickly and were in stable condition.

The third swimmer, a woman, was rescued a while later after the Coast Guard helicopter spotted her floating in the water. The helicopter helped direct boats towards her location. Once taken out of the water, the boat crew began performing CPR, the Coast Guard said. 

It is unclear how long the woman was in the water.

She was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis in critical condition, where she later died. Her identity has not been released. 

"Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

"Our hearts are with those impacted by today's incident, as well as their families and loved ones. Incidents like this are a painful reminder of how quickly conditions on the water can become dangerous," the town of Provincetown said on social media. 

Rip currents are the cause of around 100 deaths each year in the United States, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. Anyone caught in a rip current should not swim against teh current, but parallel to shore.