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Coast Guard rescues 5 off St. Lucie County

Posted at 3:29 PM, Apr 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-03 17:48:21-04

The Coast Guard has released video from a weekend rescue off the Treasure Coast.

A 9-1-1 call came in around 1:30 Sunday afternoon from 5 people who were on a boat that had capsized about 8 miles off the St. Lucie County shoreline.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and a 45-foot response vessel.

A sailboat first spotted the boaters, followed by the Coast Guard a few minutes later.

When they arrived, the rescue crew discovered the boaters had done the two most important things they always stress.

First, they all had lifejackets on.

“Another thing is they stayed with the boat.  We always tell people if a boat is sinking or about to sink, stay with that boat.  Because it’s easier to find a boat floating in the ocean than people,” said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Keith Watkins.

No one was injured.

The boaters had been in the water about 40 minutes.

The names of those rescued have not been released, but the 3 men and 2 women did not require any medical attention and took a photo with the rescue team afterward.

No word what caused the boat to capsize.