EDGARTOWN, Mass. — A 7-year-old girl died Sunday after a large wave stirred up by Hurricane Bill swept her and two others off a rocky ledge at Acadia National Park in Maine, the Coast Guard said.
Officials did not release the girl’s name but said she was from New York state. The girl was one of three people plucked from the water by rescuers. A man and a 12-year-old girl were hospitalized, the Coast Guard said.
“This is absolutely the effects of Hurricane Bill” coupled with the effect of high tide, park ranger Sonya Berger said.
The hurricane was also blamed for the death of a 54- year-old swimmer Saturday at New Smyrna Beach, along the central Florida coast.
The three swept away in Maine were part of an early afternoon crowd of thousands who lined the national park’s rocky shoreline to watch the high surf and crashing waves.
About 20 people were swept into the ocean and 17 of them got out on their own, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Sansoucie.
About 10 of those people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, he said. Others on shore suffered minor injuries after being knocked to the rocks by the waves, Acadia National Park chief ranger Stuart West said.
Along Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast, the storm delivered steady downpours and fierce winds, forcing flight cancellations and road closings.
In Montauk, N.Y., swimmers weren’t allowed in the water, but surfers were out riding the waves. State parks spokesman George Gorman said almost 2,000 surfers showed up to ride waves as high as 16 feet.
