MARATHON, Fla. – Three men from Hialeah were rescued Thursday night after their boat overturned during a fishing trip off Marathon, authorities said.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard worked together to rescue the boaters, MCSO spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.
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Herrin said one of the men called dispatchers at 6 p.m. to report that their boat had overturned and they were using life vests to stay afloat.
The man said they were about 20 to 30 miles offshore of Marathon on the gulf side, but could not provide coordinates, Herrin said.
Herrin said the cell connection began to fail during the call and the line disconnected as dispatchers tried to transfer the call to the Coast Guard.
Dispatchers got the men back on the phone as authorities headed out to search for the boat. Herrin said dispatchers were eventually able to provide coordinates to responding officers.
The men were pulled onto a Coast Guard boat at 6:40 p.m.
Herrin said the men told authorities that they had been fishing for snapper when their boat, an 18-foot open fisherman, began taking on water and they could not get the engine started.
Sea Tow was notified and will recover the vessel Friday morning, Herrin said.
The men were not injured.