Relatives worried: Boaters capsize and drift for hours on the open sea

Three boaters who capsized off the coast of Florida were lucky in an unlucky situation. Because their family did not hear anything from the shipwrecked people for several hours, they alerted the coast guard. After several more anxious hours, rescuers found the victims and took them to the hospital.

The Coast Guard rescued three people off Captiva Island, west of the US state of Florida, after their boat capsized. The three boaters were stuck at sea for nine hours. A family member reported them missing at around 1 a.m. on Sunday because the boaters had not been heard from since 8 p.m. the previous evening, the Coast Guard said.

The Clearwater Coast Guard helicopter crew finally found the capsized boaters sitting on the roof of the boat at around 6 a.m. The crew of a Coast Guard rescue ship in Fort Myers Beach brought the boaters to shore and to a hospital for medical examination. The Coast Guard said that all three reported that they were fine when they were rescued. The castaways reported no complaints and were only taken to a hospital as a precaution.

"Thanks to the quick coordination of rescue crews and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, as well as the use of critical search tools, we were able to locate and rescue the three boaters," said Dennise Werre, Chief Warrant Officer at the Coast Guard. "It is important to develop a rescue plan before boating with a loved one. These provide first responders with information such as the planned route, how many people are on board, and what safety equipment may be available," Werre recommended in the statement.

It has not yet been clarified why the boat capsized. After the rescue, the emergency services issued a safety message for the marine region, warning of unclear "dangers to shipping".