There was no lifeguard on duty when Malcolm-Jamal Warner drowned off the coast of Costa Rica on Sunday, according to the nation’s volunteer lifeguard group.
The 54-year-old actor was dragged by a water current and drowned on Playa Grande in Limon, the Caribbean Guard wrote Monday in a Facebook post. Bystanders on the beach tried to save him and performed CPR on the beach, but it was not successful, the group said.
“Playa Grande is one of our most challenging beaches,” the Caribbean Guard wrote. “It’s a beach known by local surfers and there are signs (in English and Spanish) that warn of the danger of death by drowning.”
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However, the lifeguard group had moved resources to two other nearby beaches, Playa Negra and Chiquita, known for their own strong currents.
“Due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra, we had redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents,” the statement noted.
“From Caribbean Guard, a volunteer lifeguard association, we make an urgent appeal to the President of the Nation, the national government, the Municipality of Talamanca, and the entire Caribbean community to continue joining forces to minimize this problem, which, sadly, is on the rise ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.”
“We do everything within our reach. We have saved numerous lives in recent years, and if Caribbean Guard didn’t exist, the number of drownings would be counted in dozens. We give everything we have to minimize the risks, but without help from the government, clear public policies, and strong support from local business owners, this will continue to happen,” the statement added.
The Costa Rican Red Cross has also said in a statement that another man is in a critical condition after he and Warner, who is fondly remembered for starring in The Cosby Show sitcom series, were dragged by a water current at the beach on Sunday.
Per PEOPLE, the Costa Rican Red Cross said that three ambulances responded to the Playa Grande resort in Cahuita, Limón, on Sunday afternoon after they were notified about a “water-related” case involving two men.
One of the male patients was in critical condition when he was taken to a clinic in Limón. The other male patient, who was Warner, received CPR from first responders, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, per the Costa Rican Red Cross.
“The scene was subsequently handed over to the police authorities for the appropriate legal procedures,” the statement added.
The Costa Rican Red Cross further stated that Warner and the other man were “dragged by a water current at the beach,” adding that they were already on land at the time paramedics responded to the scene.
The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) also provided information about Warner’s death on Monday, stating that the 54-year-old “appears to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current.”
Warner and his family were vacationing in Costa Rica at the time of the fatal accident. Authorities also ruled his cause of death as an apparent “result of asphyxiation by submersion,” PEOPLE reported.
Warner is survived by his wife and daughter, and he opted to remain mum about their identities when he was alive. Following the news of Warner’s death, several celebrities, including Bill Cosby, paid emotional tributes to him.
