5 Rescued After Boat Sinks Near Egmont Key: Watch

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Five people were rescued Friday after their 32-foot boat sank 28 miles off Egmont Key, the U.S. Coast Guard said. (Watch a video from the rescue below.)

A Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg boat crew rescued the boaters, who were in stable condition and brought to Tierra Verde Marina, where they were met by emergency medical service responders.

A Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstander received multiple mayday calls from the boat just after 3:30 a.m. The caller told the watchstander that the boat was taking on water and they would have to abandon ship.

The boaters were spotted near their sunken vessel in 2- to 3-foot seas by an Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk air crew just before 4:30 a.m., the Coast Guard said.

A rescue swimmer from the aircrew went into the water and directed the boat crew to the location.

“The boaters' quick decision in donning life jackets and issuing a mayday call gave our crews the critical information and best chances of rescuing them,” Ensign Gaige Garrett, an operations unit controller at Sector St. Petersburg command center, said. “With water temperatures dropping across most of Florida, we urge boaters to dress appropriately for the weather and carry the required safety equipment for their vessel when going out to sea.”

Watch a video from the rescue below:

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