MIAMI – Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach rescued three men and two women this morning after their vessel capsized and they had spent nearly 15 hours in the water.
The Sector Miami Command Center received a call from the captain of the freighter, Seaboard Florida, at about 6:50 a.m. today, reporting several people were in the water about 4 miles off Government Cut.
Crewmembers quickly arrived on scene to find three people sitting on top of their 20-foot capsized vessel and grasping onto the two other people in the water. Seas this morning were 2-3 foot, water temperature was only 69 degrees and only one person was reported to be wearing a personal flotation device.
The five people reportedly capsized Saturday evening when they tried to take in their anchor and the boat took several waves over the bow near Fowey Rocks, about 5 miles south of Government Cut. Jose Rodriguez, 45, Adalys Rodriguez, 41, Edgar Llanos, 37, Kaeyls Llanos, 32, and Reniel Carmena, 34, all from Miami, did not file a float plan and were not reported overdue from their trip by any family members earlier in the day.
“These five people are extremely lucky this morning that the captain of the Seaboard Florida noticed them in the water,” said Cmdr. Michael White, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Miami. “We had no idea they were missing, or needed assistance last night. If they had the proper safety and communication equipment on board and had notified family members of their plans before leaving yesterday, we could have responded last night and save them the effects of hypothermia and possibly being lost at sea.”
The Coast Guard crew transported all five people to Sector Miami where EMS personnel were waiting. Two people were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital for treatment of hypothermia. The three remaining people were taken to the Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue dispatch center where they were waiting to be picked up by family members.
