(CNN) Beau Oldenburg and Ritzo ten Cate were on holiday on the Dutch island of Terschelling when they spotted hundreds of shoes washed up on the beach, as far as the eyes could see.

"First, we thought it was funny," Oldenburg told CNN. "I even found a pair of sandals that fit my size and kept them."

De zee neemt. De zee geeft. 30 containers op Terschelling, Vlieland en Schier met Ikea-waren, my little pony en auto onderdelen. De eilanders zijn blij. pic.twitter.com/eQ2uJp6NUl — Ritzo ten Cate (@ritzotencate) January 2, 2019

"But then we realized it was actually a catastrophe." As they walked up the sandy beach, the couple stumbled upon more shoes, car parts, chairs, pillows and even Ikea furniture.

So, along with other tourists and local residents, they rolled up their sleeves and helped local authorities with the clean-up.

Honderden toeristen fungeren als een stofzuigen en verzamelen alles in bultjes.... daarachter komen de shovels en tractoren die het meenemen . Reeds 5 km gedaan. Nu nog 6 km. Het ergste gedeelte komt nog. pic.twitter.com/mVBBtBN3cd — richardtkiewiet (@richardtkiewiet) January 3, 2019

"We're cleaning the beach right now, with hundreds of people. It's very touching," ten Cate told CNN.