TAMPA, Fla. – Two brothers were rescued in Tampa Bay Monday after their boat sank.
At 9:49 a.m. the Coast Guard Sector in St. Petersburg received a 911 transfer call from Pinellas County Dispatch reporting two men in the water clinging to a outbound rear range light in the Tampa Bay Cut Delta Channel.
According to the United States Coast Guard, Tung Le, 47, and Thanh Le, 41 were fishing on a 17-foot boat when the engine died and the boat started to sink.
The boat crashed into a range light and the Le brothers tied their boat to it and waited for help to arrive.
A Coast Guard crew from St. Petersburg rescued the two fishermen and transported them back to the Coast Guard station with no reported injuries.
“Especially now that we are in the Hurricane season, it’s imperative that mariners double check their local weather forecast before heading out on their next boating adventure,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Diaz, a crewmember aboard the rescue boat from Station St. Petersburg. “It’s also important to know your vessel’s limitations and parameters prior to getting on the water.”
For WeatherNation, I’m Meredith Garofalo