Coast Guard rescues 8 people after boat overturns off Horn Island

The Coast Guard rescued eight people Saturday from an overturned vessel near Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi.

At 9:52 a.m. Coast Guard Station Pascagoula received an emergency relay from Jackson County Sheriff’s Office that a boat near Horn Island was sinking.

After trying to contact the callback number of the reporting party, Station Pascagoula launched a 45-foot response boat-medium rescue crew.

At 10:10 a.m., an aircrew from Mobile, that was conducting training, located the overturned vessel. The aircrew reported that there appeared to be eight people holding onto an overturned boat.

A boat crew arrived and rescued seven adults and one child aboard their vessel with only the child wearing a lifejacket. The boat crew brought the boaters back to the station and transferred them to emergency medical personnel.

No significant medical concerns were reported.

“Wearing a life jacket can save your life,” said Lt. Earl Roberts, pilot at Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile. “Lifejackets are a vital safety device because you may unexpectedly find yourself in the water, thankfully our crews are always ready to assist those in need.”