Officials ID 24-year-old man who drowned in Laguna Beach

A 24-year-old man has died hours after going missing in the waters off Crescent Bay Beach in Laguna Beach.

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The Laguna Beach Public Safety Dispatch received a 911 call Monday evening around 7:30 p.m. for a male swimmer who had gone missing, Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond said in a news release. After Laguna Beach Public Safety staff, Newport Beach lifeguards and the Coast Guard arrived on the scene, they began searching the area. Orange County Sheriff’s Office officers also flew over the area in a helicopter. 

A witness said the man was swimming with a friend, Bond wrote, and both were struggling to stay above the water. 

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The Marine Safety dive team found the man, who was taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo around 8:15 p.m. He later died in the hospital. 

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On Tuesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Moustafa Gulzarzada from Fontana, spokesperson Gerard McCann told SFGATE.

This is the second drowning off Laguna Beach this summer. In June, a 5-year-old girl was swept into the sea at Treasure Island Beach in the coastal city. Her body was later recovered.