Passengers on a sailboat made an urgent distress call when their vessel overturned in rough waters hundreds of miles from shore. Five individuals were left stranded 260 nautical miles off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina after their boat began taking on water, according to the Virginia Coast Guard. The crew of the Magic Bus had to abandon ship and seek refuge in a life raft, prompting the Coast Guard to launch a helicopter and ship for their rescue.
All individuals were safely rescued from the water in good condition following a coordinated effort with a large warship. The Coast Guard deployed the Cutter Angela McShan and aircraft crews to locate and retrieve the stranded passengers. The helicopter crew successfully recovered all five individuals from the life raft and transported them back to safety.
During the operation, the boat sank as captured in footage by the crew, while a similar incident recently occurred where passengers from a catamaran had to be rescued after their vessel sank during a day trip from a cruise ship. The passengers of the Boca de Yuma were saved by naval officials after the small boat submerged, leaving them floating in the water instead of returning to their cruise ship.