Florida beachgoers form human chain to rescue family in water

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (FOX 13) - Beachgoers in Florida formed an 80-person human chain to rescue a family that got too far out in the ocean and nearly drowned.

The Panama City News Herald reports that it all started Saturday when Roberta Ursrey noticed her sons were too far from shore and began screaming for help. Family members swam out to get them but found the current strong, leaving nine people in about 15 feet of water.

The newspaper reports that people began forming a human chain, eventually reaching about 100 yards into the ocean. The Ursrey family was rescued, although one woman suffered a heart attack requiring hospitalization.

"Today we witness some REAL HERO'S and it wasn't THE GUY'S IN UNIFORM," witness Rosalind Beckton wrote on Facebook, where she shared several photos of the scene.  "IT WAS PPL OUT ON THE BEACH THAT HAD THE CARE/HEART TO RISK THEIR LIVES TO SAVE SOMEONE."

LINK: Read the full story from the News Herald

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.