Philadelphia man drowns trying to save child at Carbon County lake

A Philadelphia man drowned at Beltzville Lake on July 21, 2019. Authorities said the victim was attempting to rescue a child, who survived and was not injured. Pictured above is Beltzville Lake and Dam on Pohopoco Creek in Carbon County.
Anthony Bley/Public Domain

A Philadelphia man died last weekend after he attempted to rescue a child who was out rafting on a lake in Carbon County, authorities said.

The incident occurred Sunday in the vicinity of Beltzville Lake in Lehighton, where the child was on a raft in a "no swimming" area, according to the Associated Press.

The man who drowned, identified as 29-year-old Xin Huang, went into the water to retrieve the child around 2 p.m. Witnesses said Huang began to struggle and went underwater.


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Authorities reportedly recovered Huang's body about two hours later. His death is ruled an accidental drowning.

The child was able to return safely to the shore and was not injured, officials said.