13 people were rescued from a fishing boat that collided with a container ship off the Virginia coast
By Rebekah Riess and Alaa Elassar, CNN
The US Coast Guard, with an assist from good Samaritans, rescued 13 people from a sinking fishing boat after it collided with a container ship about 60 miles off the coast of Virginia on Friday.
The Coast Guard received a mayday call around 2 a.m. from crew members aboard the commercial fishing vessel who said their 115-foot boat, Tremont, was sinking after colliding with the 1,000-foot Panamanian-flagged container vessel MSC Rita, the US. Coast Guard Air District 5 said in a press release.
Two good Samaritan vessels — Atlantis and Drystan — also helped assist with the rescue, according to the Coast Guard.
Atlantis, a research vessel, successfully transferred 12 people onto the Drystan using their smallboat, while the Coast Guard’s MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew “hoisted the Tremont captain from the sinking vessel,” the release said.
“Safety of life at sea is the Coast Guard’s top priority,” Capt. Jennifer Stockwell, commander of Sector Virginia, said in a statement. “These are the life-saving missions for which we train each and every day. While this morning’s events were unfortunate, 13 people were rescued from an extremely perilous situation. The combined efforts of good Samaritans and Coast Guard response assets demonstrates a selfless commitment to others.”
No injuries were reported and the cause of the collision is under investigation.
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