3 people, dog rescued from sinking vessel off of Clearwater's coast

FOX 13 News Staff
·1 min read

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Three people and a dog were rescued from a sinking vessel 35 miles off of Clearwater's coast on Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Crews received a distress call at around 5:30 a.m. from the three people, who were all on board a 47-foot vessel that started taking on water. Officials said they were able to find the boaters onboard their vessel at around 6:45 a.m.

<div>Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.</div>
Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.

A rescue swimmer from the Coast Guard's aircrew was able to lead two people from the boat to the crew's response boat, swimming in 5-6 foot seas and 10-15 knot winds.

READ: Coast Guard rescues 4 men from sinking boat and injured woman near Tampa Bay

<div>Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.</div>
Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.

According to the Coast Guard, both of the boaters were rescued from the water. Crew members started to remove water from the vessel once the "sea state improved," officials said.

<div>Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.</div>
Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard.

Crews said they found a broken window which was causing it to take on water, so they used a mattress and boat hooks to plug the window and stop it from flooding.

The Coast Guard crew escorted the vessel and all of its passengers to the Clearwater Harbor Marina at around 6:30 p.m. No one was injured, officials said.

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