A drowning off Hilton Head Island’s South Beach claimed the life of a 49-year-old man Thursday evening, according to officials. Saumen Kundu, a Georgia resident, died just before 8 p.m., according to Beaufort County Chief Coroner Shane Bowers.
Just after 7 p.m., Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue received a report of multiple swimmers in distress near South Sea Pines Drive at mile marker 5. The swimmers were a Georgia father and his juvenile son who were caught in a strong current, said Lt. Daniel Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Before fire crews and lifeguards arrived, several beachgoers had entered the water with flotation devices in attempts to keep the dad and son afloat. Fire Rescue and Shore Beach Services got to the beach around 7:30 p.m. and helped the group remove the swimmers from the water…