A maritime emergency off the coast of the Eastern Caribbean ended in a successful rescue Monday morning, when eight Antiguan travelers were pulled to safety after their vessel began sinking mid-voyage. The group was returning to their home country of Antigua from the neighboring island of St. Kitts when the boat began to take on water and lose buoyancy.
When the distress call went out, the passengers were positioned roughly 19 miles from the coast of Antigua, far enough from shore to put their lives at serious risk. The owner of local tourism operation Aventure Antigua, Eli Fuller, was among the first to receive the emergency alert and mobilized his team to launch an immediate rescue response.
By the time Fuller and his crew reached the scene of the incident, the eight passengers were already attempting to clamber aboard a separate nearby vessel in a desperate bid to escape the sinking craft. Fuller’s team quickly intervened, bringing all eight travelers safely aboard their own boat before beginning the trip back to Antigua’s shore.
The joint rescue effort was reinforced by two official national bodies: the Antigua and Barbuda Search and Rescue (ABSAR) team and the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard, both of which provided additional support to coordinate the operation and ensure no one was left behind.
In the aftermath of the harrowing experience, all eight passengers have been confirmed to be in good condition. While they were understandably shaken by the life-threatening incident, none suffered any physical injuries during the sinking or the subsequent rescue.