Crime & Safety

Coast Guard Crew Rescues Two Men in Sinking Boat

The 18-foot aluminum boat was four miles offshore, just north of the border.

Two men were rescued Friday afternoon from a sinking boat just north of the Mexican Border, according to the Coast Guard.

A distress call was made from the 18-foot aluminum boat at 12:25 p.m. A Coast Guard cutter and a Border Patrol rescue boat reached the boat, which was four miles offshore.

The Border Patrol boat began to tow the boat while the Coast Guard crew helped the two men dewater their boat, according to a Coast Guard spokesman. Efforts to stop the boat from flooding were unsuccessful, and the men boarded the Coast Guard cutter as their boat sank.

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Two external fuel tanks were recovered, and they did not spill any fuel into the ocean, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard cutter took the men to a commercial salvage company and they returned to San Diego. No injuries were reported.

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