The Coast Guard has rescued five people from a capsized 19-foot power boat eight miles off Topsail Island, North Carolina. Three of them had life jackets; the other two, without jackets, stayed afloat by perching on the capsized boat’s hull.
The rescue started at 9:53 in the morning when the Coast Guard got a Mayday call that a small boat eight miles out in the Atlantic was taking on water. About the same time, the local county 911 office got a call saying the boat had capsized and five people were in the water, with only three life jackets among them. The caller also provided some information about the boat’s location.
The Coast Guard immediately diverted a Hercules airplane from Elizabeth City, which was already in the air, to the location, and also launched a 29-foot response boat and a 45-foot response boat from Wrightsville beach.
The Hercules arrived at the scene at 10:35 and dropped rescue gear and a flare to mark the location. The smaller Coast Guard boat arrived shortly after, and pulled all five people from the water. It then transferred them to the larger boat, which brought them safely to shore. No one was injured.
Sea Tow salvaged the capsized boat.
For more and a Coast Guard video of the rescue: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/five-people-only-three-life-10860604
