Girl, 6, is swept to her death during morning swim on July 4

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy NIC WHITE, US SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS REPORTER Published: 20:32 BST, 5 July 2026 | Updated: 20:34 BST, 5 July 2026

A six-year-old girl drowned after wading in too far from a beach during a family Fourth of July holiday.Kiara Paolasin was in Southampton, on Long Island, New York, about 8am on Saturday after her family made the trip from Brooklyn.The little girl was paddling around in Sebonac Creek and was swept away by a strong current and dragged into the Great Peconic Bay.A 16-year-old relative tried to rescue her but couldn't reach Kiara because the current was too strong.The family was able to flag down a passing kayaker who pulled her from the water and paddled her back to shore where paramedics were waiting. Kiara Paolasin was in Southampton, on Long Island, New York, about 8am on Saturday after her family made the trip from Brooklyn The little girl was paddling around in Sebonac Creek and was swept away by a strong current and dragged into the Great Peconic BayBut by then it was too late and Kiara had already drowned. She was declared dead after being taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.Police are investigating the drowning and an official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.Kiara's family was one of thousands who flocked to the Hamptons for the Independence Day long weekend.As New York City and much of the northwest endured a heatwave with storms and temperatures of more than 100F, many fled to the Long Island beaches.