One dead and seven survive a freakish boat accident

Officials reported 7 people including a girl aged 4 to have survived 20 gruesome sea hours by holding onto their turtled boat and a blue cooler when their boat turned while on a fishing escapade off Florida Keys.

There were reports also of a missing elderly woman aged 80 years that was with them who now is feared to have drowned. The three women reported to the rescuers saying they lacked time to snaffle lifejackets for all with the exception of the 4-year-old girl. They told a wave toppled the boat off in the rainy waters on Saturday afternoon.

The 3 men on the boat tried helping the elderly lady, but they were unable to do so, and the woman was seen going down soon after the 22 footer capsized. The old lady happened to be one of the boater’s mother. The sailor tried hard to get a hold of his mother, but in vain.

At a point, they all drifted apart. The 3 women and the little girl hung onto the cooler and 3 men held onto the boat. They were spotted by a commercial fisherman on Sunday morning. He did rescue the men who hung onto the boat.

At this point, the three women and the girl were yelling and waving for help after seeing a Coast Guard ship. They were reported to be clinging on to the cooler that was floating, but holding them together too.

Once aboard the vessel, the women did enquire about the three men who were their husbands. The conditions and identities of the 7 survivors were not yet released on Monday afternoon.

The survivors were members of the family who’d been fishing on their boat around three and a half miles off Middle Keys when their boat turtled.

Coast Guard then brought the men covered in blankets ashore for medical attention. They were treated for hypothermia and shock.

In the end, they were very happy to be united.