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Vessel runs aground in Guam waters
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Posted on Mar 25 2008
[B]GUAM[/B]—The US Coast Guard Sector Guam was notified yesterday morning by the Guam Police Department that a boat approximately 50 feet in length had been sighted aground on the reef between Urunao Point and Double Reef. Life vests were sighted nearby on the beach.
Multiple local and federal agencies are responding via land and sea to determine the circumstances surrounding the vessel grounding.
The Coast Guard’s immediate priority is determining whether there may be people in the water in distress. The US Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 launched a helicopter to search for survivors.
According to Captain William R. Marhoffer, commanding officer of US Coast Guard Sector Guam, “Our number one priority is safety of life at sea, and time is of the essence if there are people in the water. Once all persons have been accounted for, Coast Guard pollution investigators will work with local agencies to determine whether the vessel poses an environmental hazard, and work together to examine options to remove the vessel from the reef.”
The vessel is unidentified at this time. The identity and number of persons who were on the boat remains unknown. [B][I](USCG)[/I][/B]
