9 Children, 3 Adults Rescued From Overturned Boat
WAREHAM (CBS) – Twelve people were rescued after a boat overturned in Wareham near the Cape Cod Canal Wednesday afternoon.
The Coast Guard says three adults and nine children were on board the 18-foot boat at the time. An eight-year-old who was unresponsive when he was pulled from the water has been airlifted to a Boston hospital.
According to the Coast Guard, a good Samaritan aboard the Disco Volante reported the boaters in the water at about 4:40 p.m. near Hog Island Channel. The good Samaritan said it appeared the boat was overcrowded and was having trouble with the waves.
The Coast Guard launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and a 45-foot boat crew.
When they arrived, the good Samaritan aboard the Disco Volante had already recovered nine of the 12 boaters from the water.
There was one 8-year-old boy still unaccounted for until professional diver Mike Margulis, who had heard a distress call and responded, dove under the overturned boat.
"Pretty high waves, it was pretty intense, a lot of waves a lot of wind not a good day for boating in that spot," said Margulis, who was the first diver to respond.
"I was reaching and searching through debris. I wasn't sure what I was looking for and I saw the life jacket," said Margulis. "I was able to pull through an overturned hull and get a young adult from underneath a bow section."
An Environmental Police officer and the Marion Assistant Harbormaster performed CPR on the child until they reached Wareham.
The child was first taken to Tobey Hospital and then airlifted to a Boston hospital.
The other survivors were pulled from the water by rescue crews and did not have serious injuries.
This was Margulis' first rescue dive and one he will never forget.
"Right place right time and I hope everything works out in the positive," said Margulis.
WBZ-TV's Katie Brace contributed to this report.