3 Alabama men die after becoming distressed while swimming at Florida beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Three Alabama men have died of suspected drowning after becoming distressed while swimming at a Florida Panhandle beach, authorities said Saturday morning.

The young men had traveled to the Panama City Beach area Friday evening, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Facebook after.

The sheriff’s office received a 911 call about the distressed swimmers shortly after 8 p.m., officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and others began rescue efforts. The men, who were not immediately identified, were found separately and eventually pronounced dead at local hospitals.

Earlier this week, some red flags had been posted on the beach, indicating high-risk surf strong current conditions.

On Thursday, a Pennsylvania couple visited Florida with their six children drowned after they got caught in a rip current while swimming. The man and woman became trapped in the current on Hutchinson Island, off Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.