3 young French children drowned off the Normandy coast when a household’s motorboat was struck by a substantial wave and capsized in windy conditions.

Three grownups on board survived Monday’s drama, 800 m (0.5 miles) off the Agon-Coutainville beach south of Cherbourg.

Rescuers were quickly on the scene, however the boat’s stern was under water, including the cabin where the kids were caught.

The sisters aged 13 and 9, and kid aged 7, could not be restored.

The mom of the two women, spoken with by the daily Ouest-France, stated “all of it took place so rapidly we had no time even to cry out”.

They had been returning to shore, she said, when she saw water in the boat. “I called for aid, but then a big wave tipped us over,” she added.

‘ No time at all to go out’

The adults were outside the cabin, and the mom stated the children might not swim however had life coats on.

” They had no time to go out,” she described. The women’ dad “attempted to smash the cabin window, with his arm, his legs, then the boat’s anchor”.

French media report that rescuers on the Passous beach were notified by someone who had actually identified the boat in difficulty.

A sailing school boat rushed to the scene, along with a helicopter and two sea rescue groups.

The head of the local SNSM sea rescue system, Pascal Dutot, stated “it was no time to head out, the sea was too choppy, it was too windy for a boat of simply 5.50 metres [18ft]”.