Three American tourists, identified as a Texas couple and their family friend, died in a tragic accident Monday while swimming with their children in Turks and Caicos.
Irma Barrera, 34, and Roy Perez, 38, of Lake Jackson, were visiting the Caribbean island with their 15-year-old daughter, their friend, Dr. Richard Okoloise, and his young daughter when the incident took place.
The group of five was exploring Bambarra Beach on the sparsely populated island of Middle Caicos when they got caught in a riptide “fueled by high winds,” AFP reports.
Island residents said the two families may have been trying to swim the half-mile distance through shallow water from Bambarra Beach to nearby Pelican Cay at the time.
