Two men were killed and two others are in critical condition after their boat capsized in rough waters off of the Connecticut coast Sunday morning, officials said.
At least seven agencies, including the Coast Guard, Stamford firefighters and Stamford Police, responded to the report of a small boat in distress in the Long Island Sound, according to fire officials.
The 12-foot boat was not able to return to shore due to strong winds and rough seas, according to a statement from the Stamford Fire Department.
“The boat was being carried by the tide and wind away from Stamford when the last cell phone call was made to a family member from one of those onboard the small vessel,” the statement said.
It said first responders were initially having trouble finding the boat due to a language barrier and conflicting reports of the boat’s last known location.
Eventually, fire dispatchers at the Stamford Emergency Communication’s Center were able to use the caller’s cell phone number to track the boat, using software.
Emergency responders then found pieces of the boat and were able to pull the four men out of the 3-4 foot swells.
Two of the men were unconscious and unresponsive. The other two were semi-responsive, according to fire officials. All four were taken to nearby hospitals.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the first two men were pronounced dead at the hospital, while the other two remained in critical condition. The identities of the men have not been released.
All four men were wearing life jackets, the department said. An investigation into the incident is underway.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
