Girl, 6, drowned in Fourth of July tragedy on East End

A Brooklyn family’s Fourth of July weekend celebration on the East End turned tragic Saturday when a 6-year-old girl drowned in Great Peconic Bay after being swept away by a strong current, Southampton police said Monday.

Kiara Paolasin was at a beach near Sebonac Inlet Road in Tuckahoe with relatives early in the morning when she ran into the water to get a shoe that had floated away and “slipped” into the fast-moving current, according to witness accounts.

A 16-year-old family member desperately tried to reach Kiara before other relatives flagged down a kayaker, who paddled to the child and pulled the unconscious girl from the water, police said.

Officers, who were called to the scene at about 8:10 a.m., began CPR before Kiara was transported to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to officials.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

The beach is located near the mouth of Sebonac Creek, where the tidal waterway flows into Great Peconic Bay. The area borders Sebonack Golf Club and lies next to Shinnecock Hills and National Golf Links of America courses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Southampton Town Police Detective Division at 631-702-2239 or the department’s crime hotline at 631-728-3454. Tips may also be emailed to [email protected].