Five rescued from capsized vessel near Freeport, Texas

The US Coast Guard rescued five people from a capsized vessel near Freeport, Texas, on Wednesday, July 9.

Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a report at 21:30 local time of an overdue pleasure craft with five people on board.

Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew, and a Coast Guard Station Freeport response boat-medium (RB-M) crew.

After entering the search area, the RB–M crew sighted a flare and was vectored into the position of the capsized vessel by the HC-144 aircrew.

Once on scene, the RB-M crew sighted the people in the water near the capsized vessel, all wearing lifejackets. They approached, embarked the boaters, and safely transferred them to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at the Bridge Bait Marina near Freeport.

No injuries were reported.

"[The incident] should serve as a reminder of the importance of wearing your lifejacket, having proper emergency distress equipment onboard at all times and making sure a friend or family member knows your float plan," said Lieutenant Commander Matthew Spado, the coast guard search and rescue mission coordinator.