Coast Guard boat overturns off NYC; crew swims to safety

The US Coast Guard boat overturned, all are alive and being treated by medics.

Thankfully, the five would-be rescuers didn’t need rescuing, but swam safely to shore, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ali Flockerzi told CNN’s “New Day”.

– A U.S. Coast Guard boat capsized early Thursday morning while responding to a fishing boat that ran aground in East Rockaway Inlet in Far Rockaway, Queens.

The Coast Guard spill response team was dispatched to check for any fuel leaks. No injuries were immediately reported. A helicopter with a rescue basket was used to lift fishermen to safety.

The Carolina Queen III, run aground off of Queens, New York.

The Coast Guard crew members, wearing protective gear, swam to shore.

The Carolina Queen III was built in 1987 and weighs 163 tons, according to online records.

The harrowing incident happened in the wake of a major storm that swept through the area, bringing heavy rain, risky wind gusts and flooding in some areas.

The Coast Guard sent a 25-foot rescue boat to the scene, but it capsized in the rough waters, which were experiencing waves up to 12 feet at the time.