22-yr-old undergraduate dies while swimming in ocean

A 22-year-old Bethune-Cookman University (BCU) student has died following a swimming accident at the Daytona Beach, Florida, United States.

Police say Damian Parks’ body was found on the beach early Monday morning, almost a day after sea waves swept him away.

According to a U.S. Coast Guard report, Parks and four friends were swimming in the ocean near Sun Splash Park in Daytona Beach on Sunday morning lost grip of a friend’s hand.

He yelled for help but the waves swept him away and all attempts to find him proved abortive.

Rescue crews searched with a helicopter and jet skis for hours but could not locate Parks until his body was found on the beach shore.

The deceased's mother, Carolyn Parks told WESH 2 that she cannot understand why he decided to swim in the ocean because he is not a good swimmer.

“I don’t know why it happened, why he would go into the water like this because he is not a good swimmer," she said.

"I had talked to him just before he came out here and he told me he was tired and was going to rest, not knowing he was going to come out here to the beach."

In a statement posted on the BCU Facebook page, the institution’s President, Edison O. Jackson, said the student's death is a 'sad moment'.

“This is a sad moment for our university. We never want to hear of a student losing their lives," Jackson said.

"I grieve not only as the president of B-CU, but more importantly as a parent. My condolences go out to Damian’s mother and his family."