Four People Rescued From A Flipped Over Boat By Coast Guard

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Four people were rescued by the Coast Guard on Friday night after a boat they were on flipped over under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, according to a Coast Guard news release.

Watchstanders on duty at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a call before 10:45 p.m. about two red flares that were seen in the area south of the bridge, the Coast Guard Public Affairs District 7 said.

When a boat crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg found the flipped over boat at 10:45 p.m. with the help of a Hillsborough County Sheriff's helicopter, they saw four people clinging to the boat, Coast Guard officials said.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call about the boating incident, and they contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Coast Guard to help.

"It started off as a flare sighting, then a 9-1-1 call, which diverted a Hillsborough County helicopter who spotted the mariners so we could pick them up," Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Alex Dominicci, the sector's command duty officer, said. "It was a great multi-agency response and was well executed."

The mariners did not experience any injuries, according to the Coast Guard.