Antigua police say lifeguard dies trying to rescue body he thought was drowning victim

Antigua lifeguard dies while trying to rescue body

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — An off-duty lifeguard died in Antigua after he jumped into rough surf to try to rescue a lifeless body that he mistook for a drowning man, police said Tuesday.

Travis Christopher, 24, was accompanying his girlfriend to Devil’s Bridge, a popular tourist area, when he spotted the body, police spokesman Frankie Thomas said.

Christopher jumped into the water but disappeared, then his body resurfaced nearly four hours later, Thomas said.

Authorities believe the unidentified man that the lifeguard was trying to rescue had been dead for a while because the body was in early stages of decomposition.

Antigua police have contacted authorities on other islands in the Caribbean to help identify the body. Foul play has not been ruled out in the death.

Devil’s Bridge is a massive limestone ledge on the eastern side of the island that has the most treacherous waves in Antigua.