Three men who were visiting a Florida beach drowned Friday night after they went out swimming in the Gulf Coast, according to police.
The unidentified victims, who were only described as “young men” who lived in Alabama, came to Panama City Beach Friday afternoon and immediately went swimming, Bay County, Florida Sheriff Tommy Ford said.
Public Beach Access No. 12 in Panama City Beach, Fla., is pictured June 22, 2014. Three young men from Alabama drowned there the previous evening the sheriff’s office announced.
Tyler Orsburn/Panama City News Herald via USA Today Network
Around 8:00 p.m. police were called in to help as the three men were in the water and in distress. Search and rescue crews combed the water and eventually found all three by 10:30 p.m., but they were declared dead at the hospital, according to Ford.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” Ford said in a Facebook post. “I want to thank Bay County Emergency Services, the FWC, and the Coast Guard for their help in the rescue efforts.”