Two Indiana men gave their lives to rescue a child from strong currents in Lake Michigan.

David Halford, 37, and Kyle Reibly, 26, were among a group of several people trying to help a child struggling in the lake's strong rip currents, NBC station WMAQ-TV reports.

The two drowned after saving the child, who is expected to be OK.

Emergency officials responded to a call at Wells Street Beach in Gary, Ind., around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, and pulled five people out of Lake Michigan.

Two of the five walked away under their own power while the other three, including Halford and Reibly, were taken to a hospital, officials said. The third hospitalized individual was in stable condition.

A National Weather Service statement had been issued early Saturday morning warning beachgoers of "life threatening waves and currents" and to stay out of the water.

Vernon Lesner, a friend of Halford's, said he jumped into the water with three others after someone nearby noticed that a child was stuck in the current.

"We had a mission," Lesner told WMAQ-TV. "We were like, 'Hey this kid's coming back to shore, no matter what. No matter what happens, we all stick together,' and that's what we did."

The drownings occurred on the first day of the Gary Air Show, featuring acts from both the Navy and Army. A teenager drowned during the show in 2012 under similar lake conditions.

Twenty people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.