Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida drowns in rip current in front of their 6 children

A family vacation comes to a tragic end when a Pennsylvania couple drowned in the Atlantic Ocean in front of their six children. It happened on Thursday, June 20, off Hutchinson Island, which is about 120 miles north of Miami.

The couple, identified as 51-year-old Brian Warter and 48-year-old Erica Wishard, along with their mostly teenage children, were on vacation in Florida and planned to spend the day at the beach.

"While in the water, the couple and two of the teens got swept out by a rip current. The kids were able to break the current and attempted to help their parents, but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim ashore," Martin County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

Rip currents are channels of water that can pull swimmers away from shore and farther out into the ocean. More than 100 people a year are killed by rip currents, according to the United States Lifesaving Association.

Martin County Ocean Rescue was able to reach the couple, get them to the shore and perform CPR until they were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where life-saving efforts continued until doctors declared the couple dead.

A Crisis Intervention Team Deputy helped the couple’s children throughout the day and evening as they waited for other family members to travel to Florida, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.