On Saturday, July 13, a commercial tanker collided with a small passenger boat near Port Aransas, Texas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi.
In particular, at approximately 5:28 AM local time, Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders on channel 16 received a call from a good Samaritan reporting a collision between a tanker and a small leisure boat carrying four passengers in the Port Aransas Pass area of Texas.
Following the report, Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi initiated a rescue operation, deploying an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to rescue the passengers. Additionally, an emergency response boat from Coast Guard Station Port Aransas was dispatched to locate the passengers.
Subsequently, a pilot boat from Port Aransas, along with a good Samaritan, rescued three passengers from the water. One passenger was reported deceased, and the other two were transported for emergency medical assistance.
After searching for approximately 44 hours and covering more than 127 square miles, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search operation on Sunday afternoon. The names of the vessels involved in the collision have not yet been disclosed.
An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the collision between the tanker and the boat.
