Boat sinks off Florida coast, leaving 3 treading water in dark, US Coast Guard says

Three mariners were left adrift in the dark when their vessel sank in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

It happened around 10 p.m. Saturday, June 29, near Egmont Key, officials said. The barrier island is at the mouth of Tampa Bay in Southwest Florida.

A distress call came around 10:13 p.m., reporting a 36-foot boat had run aground and sank, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

Rescuers from the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg set out and reached the group about 10:50 p.m. The three survived with the help of life jackets, officials said.

They were pulled aboard a rescue boat and were found to be uninjured. Identities of the three were not released.

A crew revisited the site Sunday, June 30, and marked the boat’s location as a potential navigation hazard for passing boats, officials said. Part of the boat’s rigging can be seen sticking above the water’s surface.

This story was originally published July 1, 2024 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Boat sinks off Florida coast, leaving 3 treading water in dark, US Coast Guard says."