4 Men Rescued After Boat Capsizes in Florida Waters: 'We're Blessed We're Alive'

"The boat started to sink, everybody grabbed the life jacket, and we tried to go together to the sand," one of the rescued men said

Authorities rescued four men after their boat capsized off of Florida’s Virginia Key Beach on Thursday night.

In an email to PEOPLE on Friday, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that around 11:30 p.m. local time, the department, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Department, responded to an incident involving reports of a lost vessel near Arthur Lamb Jr. Road in Biscayne Bay.

“Upon arrival, Fireboat 73 (FB73) was dispatched to locate the lost vessel and encountered four boaters who were swimming to shore, while Air Rescue South (ARS) conducted an aerial search to locate the capsized vessel,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in its statement.

According to NBC affiliate WTVJ, one man was found swimming and another made it to shore by himself. The other two men remained missing until they were later spotted by authorities.

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"We were searching just outside of Bear Cut, one gentleman was recovered initially he was swimming close to the vessel, one managed to swim to shore, and we had two missing," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Nicholas DiGiacomo told CBS affiliate WFOR.

Authorities "heard people yelling in the water" just before 2 a.m., he added. "Thankfully, they were wearing life vests at the time, and we came over and picked them up."

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue added in its statement to PEOPLE that the four men were safely rescued and that there were no hospital transports.

Related: Sailor Survives 16 Hours Trapped Under Capsized Boat in the Atlantic Ocean Before Being Rescued

According to WFOR, the four men were heading home after an afternoon of fishing when their 24-foot boat was struck by large waves.

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"The sea goes inside the boat, two big olas [waves], and they destroyed the boat," Ray Duran, one of the four men who was rescued, told the station, adding, "The boat started to sink, everybody grabbed the life jacket, and we tried to go together to the sand.”

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"We're blessed we're alive," said Alexis Jorge, who was also on board, WTVJ reported. "The boat started to sink. Everyone jumped from the boat, grabbed the life jackets, and we started to go together toward the sand."

The rescue involved a number of boats and a chopper, the Miami Herald reported, adding that Florida Fish and Wildlife is investigating the incident. 

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