BOSTON (WHDH) - A Coast Guard officer on Monday described a race to rescue four people over the weekend after a boat began sinking in Boston Harbor.
The people were successfully taken out of the water and brought to Charlestown marina, where they were evaluated by paramedics, according to state police. Speaking with 7NEWS, though, Coast Guard Commander Kyle Coleman said the incident could have been much worse.
Emergency crews responded around 5 p.m. Sunday after receiving a mayday broadcast from a boat that was taking on water off the north side of Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor, state police said in a statement on Sunday.
State police said the four people on the boat were putting on life jackets and abandoning ship as crews arrived.
“They sank pretty quickly,” Coleman said in an interview.
Coleman said state police personnel were about three minutes away from the boat in trouble when the initial call went out. State police, Coleman said, were able to get to the scene and help get the people out of the water.
Coleman said the situation over the weekend was “very dangerous.”
“The vessel has a lot of compartments to it, so if someone is inside, they could very easily be trapped,” he said.
As the summer boating season now continues, Coleman said this close call can serve as a reminder for anyone who wants to head out on the water.
“I think the biggest thing is, have a plan, know where you’re going to be going and have someone back home that knows where you’re going as well,” he said.
SKY7-HD was over the boat that was involved in this recent incident while crews took part in a lengthy salvage operation to haul it up on Monday. As part of their efforts, crews were able to get the boat above water using floats before starting to pump water out of it.
Authorities were still investigating what caused the boat to start taking on water as of Monday.
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