Mar 24, 2009 7:47 pm US/Eastern
Boat Overturns Off NJ Coast; 2 Dead, 4 Missing
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) ―
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At least two people were killed after a fishing vessel sank off the coast of Cape May on March 24.
CBS
Two crew members were killed and four are missing after a scallop boat sank off the coast of New Jersey early Tuesday morning.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said the 71-foot fishing vessel "Lady Mary" went down at about 5 a.m., but crews did not receive a distress call until approximately 7:30 a.m.
A helicopter crew from Atlantic City responded to the emergency beacon, finding an unmanned life raft 75 miles off the coast of Cape May. Three crew members were found nearby and plucked from the waters.
"We spotted a wood plank and on the wood plank there was the red of a survival suit," said rescue swimmer Lake Downham.
Officials said two fishermen were unconscious, without vitals, and were pronounced dead.
The lone fisherman found in good condition has been identified as Jose Ariese.
Ariese told rescuers seven crew members were on board the boat when it sank. All seven donned survival suits before ending up in the water.
A family member at the scene told CBS 2 sister station in Philadelphia, KYW-TV, the vessel is a family owned boat and all seven crew members were related.
The captain of the boat, a North Carolina man, was reportedly en-route to New Jersey Tuesday.
Several rescue helicopters and Coast Guard crews from around the region have joined in the search for the four remaining crew members.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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