The Coast Guard District Seven command centre got to contact the wife of the boat’s owner after receiving an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert and she noted that her husband and other people were involved in a fishing tournament
Representational Image. AFP
A bolt of lightning hit a boat and damaged it 100 miles off the coast of Clearwater. The Florida Coast Guard wasted no time in reaching the vessel and saving the passengers who got stranded in the middle of the sea. A video clip of the horrific incident has surfaced on the internet and grabbed the eyes of many users.
As per a release from the Coast Guard, there were seven occupants including five women and two men at the time of the incident. They were hoisted by a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and brought back to the air station where they met their family and friends.
Watch the video:
The US Coast Guard Southeast took to its official Twitter handle to upload footage of the terrific happening and share information in the caption. In the 43-second-long video, the passengers of the vessel can be seen enjoying themselves when suddenly lightning hit it and the recording gets interrupted. In the next footage, aircrew members are seen using necessary measures to take the passengers securely up to the helicopter one by one.
“USCG Air Station Clearwater rescued 7 people after their boat was hit by lighting 100 mils offshore of Tampa Bay. Everyone is ok & reunited with family & friends. Thanks to them activating their EPIRB,” the caption of the clip read. Since being posted, the video has received over 16,000 likes on Twitter and people have praised the efforts of the coast guards for saving the passengers.
The Coast Guard District Seven command centre got to contact the wife of the boat’s owner after receiving an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert and she noted that her husband and other people were involved in a fishing tournament. The owner is now seeking help from a commercial salvage company to rescue his damaged vessel.
A Coast Guard pilot named t. David McKinley noted that lightning storms posing a hazard to boaters is not a rare occasion in the Florida maritime environment. “In this case, the boaters were well prepared with all necessary safety equipment including an EPIRB, flares, and a marine VHF radio to ensure a quick and efficient rescue,” he added.
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