Two men were found dead after what law enforcement officials in Florida called a series of mistakes that caused two young girls to be left alone on a boat, drifting across a lake in Florida.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that 30-year-old Orlando Ortiz of Winter Haven and his friend, 34-year-old Jeffrey Marrero of Auburndale, were found after they drowned in Lake Eloise.

Officers say the men were trying to rescue Ortiz’ girlfriend, 38-year-old Velcky Velasquez, of Winter Haven, on March 18.

Velasquez was able to survive by floating on her back as the boat drifted away from them.

The Sheriff’s office said that at 4:12 p.m. on Saturday, Jeffrey Marrero’s 10-year-old daughter called 911 to report that she and her eight-year-old sister were alone on a boat in the middle of the lake.

The terrified girls were searched for by responding deputies and a good Samaritan. The boat with the two girls was found and the children were okay. A deputy brought the girls to safety, then he and another deputy looked for the adults.

Some distance from where they found the girls and the boat, they came across Velasquez treading water.

On Monday, March 20, the bodies of the two missing men were located by a search and recovery team using sonar. The bodies were discovered by searchers approximately 350 yards offshore and 16 feet below the surface.

Velasquez told police that she and Ortiz had rented the boat to celebrate their first anniversary with Ortiz’s friend Marrero and Marrero’s two daughters. All the adults had zero boating experience, and the men were not expert swimmers.

The trouble started when Velasquez, in the middle of the lake, jumped in to try to secure the anchor to the boat. The ship was blown away from her by strong winds, and the two men jumped into the water to try to help her.

The three adults struggled to stay with the drifting boat but only the woman survived.

The 16-foot boat drifted until it became stuck in the weeds of a swamp, where the girls were found.