The U.S. Coast Guard said a woman died after a dramatic rescue in the San Juan Islands of Washington state on Monday night. A man was also rescued from the disabled sailboat.
SAN JUAN ISLANDS, Wash. – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two boaters from a disabled sailboat near the San Juan Islands of Washington state this week.
The incident happened Monday night when a man made a mayday call to the Coast Guard saying his sailboat was disabled and drifting toward land.
At the time, seas were 4-6 feet high and winds were gusting between 25 and 30 mph. National Weather Service data showed temperatures around 30 degrees with snowy conditions for much of the evening.
The Coast Guard dispatched a rescue boat and helicopter to the sailboat to rescue the man and a woman onboard.
A sailboat became disabled and ran aground, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to save a man and woman onboard.
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While conducting the rescue, the boat ran aground and the sailboat’s mast collapsed, the Coast Guard said.
A rescue swimmer was then sent down from the helicopter to save the two people aboard the boat. Once the man was on the rescue boat, the helicopter crew discovered the woman was in the water.
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The U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer is sent down to save the man from the boat.
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The boat crew pulled the woman, unconscious, from the water and CPR was started, the Coast Guard said.
The woman was taken aboard the helicopter and airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The man was taken by boat back to Station Bellingham, where he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment.
A member of the Coast Guard who was injured during the rescue was also taken to the hospital but released later that night, the Coast Guard said.