Monday’s drowning victim in Edisto Beach was from Norway, here’s what we know

A woman who died shortly after being rescued from the ocean at Edisto Beach was identified as 26-year-old from Norway, according to Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey.

It’s not yet clear whether the woman, Liv Andersen, was visiting the small South Carolina beach town, Harvey said.

Around 3 p.m. Monday, a handful of agencies were dispatched to the 800 block of Palmetto Boulevard in response to a report of a drowning. Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy said Tuesday that Andersen was seen floating in the surf.

According to what was recounted to Harvey, Andersen was with another woman who was sunbathing when her friend looked up and couldn’t see Andersen, so she went down to the water and found an unresponsive Andersen.

On Tuesday, a town news release said, a “good Samaritan” pulled Andersen from the water, and by the time first responders arrived they found a nurse providing care to her.

The Colleton County Coroner’s Office and Edisto Beach Police Department are investigating the death.

On Wednesday morning, Harvey said it’s unclear whether Andersen fell and hit her head before she was found unresponsive.

“It wasn’t near one of the breakers where there are a bunch of rocks,” Harvey said, adding that it doesn’t mean she couldn’t have hit her head by unseen rocks in the water. “An autopsy will find out if she had major head injuries or anything like that.”

Harvey said results from the autopsy would be back from the pathologist on Friday, which will identify what caused Andersen’s death.

Since the beginning of the year, Colleton County has had between four and five drownings, according to Harvey. The other drownings happened in rivers.