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Coast Guard rescues 3 fishermen from raft in Gulf of Mexico after boat sinks

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Posted at 3:24 PM, Apr 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-08 15:24:38-04

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a life raft after their fishing boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico.

A Coast Guard statement says mayday calls were sent by an unknown source early Monday morning. Two cruise ships also reported hearing mayday calls and the Norwegian Pearl was sent to assist about 90 miles (144 kilometers) off the southwest Florida coast.

The Coast Guard then picked up a notification from a radio beacon that the 32-foot (10-meter) boat was registered to a St. Petersburg man. He told officials three other men were using it for a fishing trip.

The Coast Guard sent an airplane from Miami that spotted the men and a helicopter from Clearwater that picked them up.

No injuries were reported.