STUNNING VIDEO FOOTAGE has captured the dramatic rescue of a woman and two children who were stranded on a capsized boat off the coast of Peurto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
The US Coast Guard and the British Royal Navy coordinated in the rescue mission which took place in 20-foot waves and 100-knot winds near Vieques in Puerto Rico.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that a man died in the capsized vessel and his body was inaccessible to search and rescue crews.
A British Royal Navy helicopter crew airlifted the woman and children from the vessel which was called “Ferrel”.
The Coast Guard posted footage of the remarkable rescue on its Youtube channel.
The Telegraph is reporting that the deceased was a 56-year-old British man while his Dominican wife and their two children were the three rescued.
“We initially got the call — a vessel in distress, a family of four, north of St. Croix, literally in the teeth of a hurricane,” US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Peter Brown said to The New York Times.
We were obviously concerned. We didn’t ask their names and didn’t ask why they were out there.
Hurricane Maria is the most powerful cyclone to hit Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years.
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