Beachgoers rescue 2 swimmers thanks to newly installed life safety rings on Oak Island

CASWELL BEACH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A newly installed safety option helped save two swimmers at Oak Island over the weekend.

According to the Southport Fire Department, heroic beachgoers saw two female swimmers struggling and yelling for help at Caswell Beach. The bystanders quickly grabbed the new life safety rings and used them to rescue the swimmers.

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By the time professional emergency responders arrived, the beachgoers had already pulled the females to safety.

"He said if he had waited another minute those girls wouldn't have made it," the wife of one of the beachgoers said.