Coast Guard rescues 5 after boat capsizes in Oregon Inlet
Coast Guard rescues 5 after boat capsizes in Oregon Inlet
A Coast Guard boat crew rescued five people after their boat capsized in the surf in Oregon Inlet, Saturday.
A mariner in the area contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina watchstanders in Wilmington on VHF-FM channel 16 at about 5 p.m., reporting that a 54-foot fishing boat flipped in the surf, east of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.
Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched two Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat crews from Station Oregon Inlet in Nags Head.
The first boat crew arrived on scene and rescued the five adults from the water. All five were wearing life jackets. They brought the people ashore and transferred them to awaiting EMS. A Dare County MedFlight helicopter crew transported one injured woman to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. She was reported to have had a back injury.
“Thanks to the quick actions of the Station Oregon Inlet crew and the fact all of the survivors were wearing life jackets, we were able to save everyone aboard,” said Capt. Bion Stewart, the commander of Sector North Carolina. “Given the heavy sea conditions being generated by hurricanes and tropical storms this season, it is imperative boaters pay careful attention to weather and small craft warnings before venturing offshore. Surf conditions at inlets can become treacherous very quickly, even for larger recreational vessels.”
