Man drowns off Venice Beach; death under investigation
VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) — A man died Sunday evening in a drowning off of Venice Beach, Florida, according to police.
The Venice Police Department said first responders were called to the beach at about 6:50 p.m. to assist a distressed swimmer.
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An officer at the scene was told about a man who was spotted in the water about 125 yards away from the south lifeguard stand.
Police said the officer took a rescue buoy out into the Gulf to fetch the man, but he was already face down and unresponsive.
A Venice Fire Rescue crew loaded the man, identified as Vjatselav Belts, 66, of Hesperia, California, onto the boat where they gave him CPR. However, he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Belts’ death is under investigation by both Venice police and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office.
According to police, the drowning incident happened outside of the lifeguard’s scheduled hours.
Little is known about Belts, but police said he has family in Missouri and Estonia.
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