Human chain forms to rescue couple from rip current in Florida panhandle

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (FOX 13) - A human chain formed to help rescue a man and woman who got caught in rip currents in Panama City Beach.

It happened Sunday around 11 a.m. and was captured on video by vacationer Brian Daniels. 

MORE: Car buried in sand on Alabama beach as Tropical Storm Barry approached

Witnesses say the man and woman ventured out into the water while the double red flags were flying, warning against swimming because of rip currents as Tropical Storm Barry made its way through the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in Louisiana. 

Beachgoers and rescue personnel formed a human chain to try and reach the swimmers, and at least one rescuer was shown on video trying to swim out to the pair. 

Daniels said a sheriff's deputy almost died helping and had to be rescued himself. 

The rescue of the swimmers was a success, Daniels said, and everyone was pulled to safety. 

Panama City Beach Fire Rescued issued a plea to swimmers to heed the warnings after getting multiple calls for swimmers in distress. "The decision to ignore the warnings has impacts far beyond the swimmer that becomes distressed," they posted on social media. 

News outlets in Panama City Beach reported at least 40 rescues were carried out on Sunday. One of them reportedly died in a separate incident.