PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic – A dozen sailors who were tossed into the Atlantic Ocean when their boat sank Wednesday were rescued by a cruise ship and the Coast Guard on Wednesday.
The small cargo vessel Two Brothers sank about 30 miles north of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The nearby Carnival Cruise ship Vista headed to the scene after receiving an emergency alert signal, according to a Carnival spokesperson. The ship’s crew then spotted a life raft with six people on board.
Those six were safely brought onto the ship, and Carnival crew advised the Coast Guard and Dominican Republic Navy that six additional crew members from the sunken boat were still missing, the cruise line said.
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A Coast Guard rescue helicopter was launched from the Turks and Caicos Islands and eventually found the other six crew members clinging to debris from the sunken vessel.
All six were hoisted onto the rescue helicopter and brought to Puerto Plata for medical treatment. All 12 survivors were reported in good health, the Coast Guard said.
“The weather conditions were less than ideal,” Lt. Cmdr. Jeb Slick, the mission’s copilot, said in a press release announcing the rescue. “Our crew’s outstanding work ethic and dedication to training led to the successful rescue of these survivors.”
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What caused the boat to sink is not yet known. Slick didn’t give further details on the weather conditions.