SHACKLEFORD BANKS, NC (WNCT) – A 35-year-old father is dead after trying to save his three daughters off Shackleford Banks.

It happened Monday afternoon just before 1pm.

Atlantic Beach Fire Captain Casey Arthur says the man’s three young daughters got caught up in a rip current near the west end of the island. The father rushed to their rescue, jumping in to save them.

The girls were rescued by bystanders and a man in a nearby boat. The man’s wife also attempted to assist with getting the three daughters and her husband back to shore. However, the father wasn’t able to make it back.

The father was in cardiac arrest upon arrival of an Atlantic Beach police vessel. An off-duty paramedic started CPR on the man, and crews continued lifesaving efforts on the way to Carteret Health Care, where he was pronounced dead.

The man’s name hasn’t yet been released by authorities.

The family is vising North Carolina from Tennessee.