A moonlight horse and carriage ride went awry for a Norwegian family late on Friday night as they had to be rescued from the sea in the Venetian port of Hania in Crete after the vehicle plunged into the water.

Three bystanders jumped into the sea and rescued the four passengers as well as the young driver, police said. The horse, however, drowned, as it was pulled to the seabed by the weight of the carriage.

Officers said that hundreds of people on the busy Hania seafront looked on as the horse and carriage sped toward the sea in front of the city’s customs office. They suspect that the horse was startled by a loud noise.

Authorities in Hania said that horse and carriage rides for tourists have been taking place in the city for many years but this is the first time that an animal has fallen into the sea.