By Adam Lucente
Cape Cod Times
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. —The Coast Guard, good Samaritans and local firefighters pulled 12 people from the water Wednesday, nine of them children, after the sailboat they were on overturned near Hog Island Channel.
Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England received a call around 4:40 p.m. that an 18-foot sail boat overturned and there were 12 people in the water, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. The boat appeared to be overloaded with passengers and struggling with the waves, according to what the good Samaritan told the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard sent a boat and a helicopter to search for the people in the water. When they arrived, they found the civilian boat Disco Volante had already recovered nine people. The Coast Guard boat and local responders took another three people to shore, the statement says.
After the Disco Volante rescued the nine, an eight-year-old child and two others were still unaccounted for, Maj. Patrick Moran, of the Massachusetts Environmental Police, said. Crew members from a 45-foot Coast Guard vessel dove into the water and recovered the remaining three passengers, he said, adding that the child, who the Coast Guard said was wearing a life jacket, was unresponsive. The child was given CPR on shore and taken to Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
The child and his parents were brought to Onset, he said. The remaining nine were taken to Taylor Point Marina, near the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, according to Moran.
“Massachusetts Maritime was the meeting point for ambulances and rescue vessels,” Chris Ryan, spokesman for the academy, said.
All 12 were taken to Tobey Hospital, and the eight-year-old was later airlifted to a Boston hospital, according to Peter Cohenno, spokesman for Southcoast Health.
In addition to the environmental police, the Wareham police, Wareham Fire Department, Marion Harbormaster, Onset Fire and Rescue, Mattapoisett Fire and Rescue, the Coast Guard and the Buzzards Bay Task Force aided in the search and rescue.
“It is recommended that mariners verify the max amount of horsepower and capacity a vessel can handle before going underway,” Scott Bacholm, command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, said in a statement.
Bourne firefighters also responded, according to Bourne Deputy Fire Chief Paul Weeks. There was no additional information available as of Wednesday night.
Copyright 2017 Cape Cod Times
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