A marine deputy in the Florida Keys rescued three people who were clinging to a capsized ship on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputy Nelson Sanchez of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at around 3:47 p.m. EDT about an 18-foot Sea Ray boat sinking about 2 miles south of Duck Key just before 4 p.m., the Miami Herald reported.
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Adam Linhardt told the Herald that there were two women, ages 19 and 21, and a 55-year-old man on the boat.
The sheriff’s office, in a news release posted to Facebook, said the three people on the boat were not wearing life jackets.
Sanchez arrived first at the scene, followed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, the newspaper reported.
Sanchez was able to safely remove the passengers from the water and take them to safety, the Herald reported.
The names of the passengers were not immediately available, and it is unknown how the boat capsized, the newspaper reported.