Updated

Rescuers helped pull members of a South Carolina family from their minivan after it became submerged in the Atlantic surf on Florida's Daytona Beach.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports the woman and her children — ages 3, 9, and 10 — somehow ended up in the water around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Beach Safety Capt. Tammy Marris says the woman was already driving on the beach, where cars are allowed. It's not clear how the vehicle ended up in the water.

Video aired by local TV stations showed rescuers who ran to the scene hurriedly trying to get everyone out of the van as it drifted in the water. The family was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment. Their vehicle was towed.

Marris says authorities are investigating.