3 rescued from sinking vessel off of La Push

LA PUSH, Wash. — A Coast Guard crew rescued three people from a sinking vessel 5 miles off the coast of La Push on Saturday.

At about 2:40 p.m., crews with the Coast Guard Puget Sound Command Center received a radio call to assist a man who had reported that the 48-foot vessel he was on was taking on water and starting to sink.

When the crew deployed, seas 8 to 10 feet were reported, meaning there was significant wave height.

Rescuers said when they arrived where the sinking boat was, they spotted three people among floating debris, and none of them were wearing lifejackets.

Two men were pulled out of the water onto the rescue boat, and the third man was struggling to stay afloat, so a rescuer jumped in the water to assist him and pulled him to safety, officials said.

All three men showed signs of hypothermia.

When the rescue boat got back to La Push, the men were taken by medics to the hospital to be checked out.

No information was provided on their condition.

Officials said the men’s vessel sank with several hundred gallons of diesel fuel onboard.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew was launched to examine the area for oil sheen.

Ecology workers were called to investigate any possible maritime hazards.

Cox Media Group