Police on St. John said a 64-year-old female visitor to the island apparently drowned while snorkeling Saturday near Leinster Bay and Water Lemon Cay. The victim was swimming with others, who had left the water but the victim continued to snorkel, according to police reports.
When the victim seemed to be in distress her companions went to her assistance by using a dingy. Emergency medical technicians, firefighters and National Park rangers came to the scene and CPR was administered. The victim was taken to the Myra Keating Community Health Clinic and pronounced dead at about 4:15 p.m. the same day, police said.
According to the preliminary report, the victim and her companions were aboard the private vessel the Stella Maris and had been in the Virgin Islands about five hours.
Also on Saturday on St. John, a cement truck overturned on a road near Fish Bay. The overturned truck plummeted over a rocky ridge, into a villa and finally coming to rest on a hairpin curve. The passengers jumped out of the vehicle before it went over the ridge and were unharmed.
The Traffic Investigation Unit continues to investigate this accident.