|
From:TheBahamasWeekly.com BASRA  Nine people rescued at sea On January 30, 2012 at approximately 5:18am BASRA GB Base received a call from Police control that a 26 foot center console with (6) six persons on board was stranded off of West End. The call came in from a concerned citizen in Nassau whom received an original call from the boat and that the cell phone on board had gone dead. After notifying RBDF & OPBAT, BASRA GB then called West End Police Station in request to put a call out on VHF 16 for any vessel that may be in distress. At 6:18am BASRA GB received a call from OPBAT that they received a report of a boat drifting off of West Palm Beach with (12) twelve persons on board and the same description type vessel. USCG immediately launched (2) two of their vessels and a Hilo to the vessels last known position. OPBAT later reported that there was no boat found off of West Palm Beach and that the Hilo will continue to search from West Palm Beach to West End. A boat was then located at N26.33.2 - W 079.09.56 with 6 adults and 3 children ages 3, 10, and 12. The USCG Hilo dropped a VHF radio down to personnel on the vessel and found that all persons on board were in good health; but had no food or water for a day and a half almost two days. Both RBDF and RBPF Marine Patrol Division immediately started to put a rescue plan together. Shortly after, a Rescue vessel left from West End along with RBDF which left from Freeport en route to the stranded vessel. Rescue Vessels were reported on scene at 2pm. The persons were transported back to Freeport on board a US Coast Guard cutter at 7:00pm where they were turned over to the proper authorities.
|