Sinking boaters rescued at The Sands

Five boaters started off on an excursion Sunday afternoon which ended abruptly when their boat started sinking.

Three of the boaters made it to shore on their own, according to City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department Fire Chief Reece Bertholf. One boater stayed with the boat as it began to fill with water and was rescued by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Marine Rescue Squadron officers, while the final boater was rescued from pluff mud by firefighters, Bertholf said.

Two of the rescued boaters were taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital as a precaution, he said.

The boat was only about 100 yards from the boat ramp when it started taking on water “for undetermined reasons,” the fire chief said.

The firefighters and the Marine Rescue officers worked together to bring the boat back in to shore to be drained, he said.

Port Royal Police Department and Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene. South Carolina DNR is investigating the incident, Bertholf said.

This story was originally published July 3, 2016 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Sinking boaters rescued at The Sands."