Three American tourists have drowned in the Turks and Caicos Islands after apparently getting caught in a fast-moving tide fueled by high winds, authorities and local residents said Tuesday. The victims - two men and a woman - were from two families from Texas who were spending the holidays together, along with their two girls, police said.

They had been exploring scenic Bambarra Beach on the sparsely populated island of Middle Caicos when disaster struck on Monday, police and local residents said. The children were plucked from the ocean by rescuers and were being cared for by local social welfare services. The body of a 34-year-old woman washed ashore shortly after the incident. Searchers scouring the beaches recovered the second body a few hours later. The third was discovered early this morning with assistance from the US Coast Guard. Residents said the families may have been attempting to cross the half-mile distance through shallow water from Bambarra Beach to nearby Pelican Cay.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015