PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Three Alabama men who went for an evening swim shortly after arriving at Florida’s Panhandle beach were caught in a rip current and died, authorities say. It was the latest in a spate of recent deaths in Florida waters after a Pennsylvania couple drowned off the state’s southeastern coast, authorities said.
The young Alabama men had traveled to the Panama City Beach area with a group of friends Friday evening and had just checked into their rental home and gone swimming when they became distressed, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in an updated release. Facebook message on Saturday evening.
“The three men ended up in a rip shortly after entering the water,” the post said.
The sheriff’s office received the first emergency call about the distressed swimmers shortly after 8 p.m., officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and others began rescue efforts. The men were found separately and eventually pronounced dead at area hospitals, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office identified the three as Birmingham, Alabama, residents Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Marius Richardson, 24. Earlier this week, several red flags had been placed on the beach, indicating dangerous surf and fire . 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.
Brian Warter, 51, and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, and two of their mostly teenage children, were caught in the current on Hutchinson Island, off Florida’s southeast coast, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. It added that the two children were able to break free from the current and tried to help their parents, but were forced to swim to shore when conditions became too dangerous.
Martin County Ocean Rescue attempted lifesaving measures and took the couple to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.