Boating Safety rescues juvenile, 7 others

Boating Safety officers rescued a 10-year-old boy from a fishing boat that had sunk in the Garapan lagoon Friday night. The boy’s two male adults companions managed to swim back to shore.

All three victims were not injured, but were given medical attention, according to the Department of Public Safety yesterday.

Over the weekend, Boating Safety officers also rescued seven men from two distressed boats on Tinian and Saipan waters.

All seven were in good condition. Their boats were also found in compliance with all boating safety laws and safety equipment regulations.

In the first incident, DPS spokesperson Lei Ogumoro said that on Friday at 11:42pm, police received a report of a possible missing person in the lagoon located west of the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.

Patrol and Boating Safety officers responded to the scene and learned that a vessel had sunk.

Preliminary investigation showed that prior to the incident, Melvin Camacho, Steve Mettao and the 10-year-old boy had gone on a fishing trip.

On their way back at 10pm, the boat, described as a home-made vessel with paddles, capsized and eventually sank.

The three got separated while in the water. When police arrived, they learned that Camacho and Mettao had managed to swim back to the shoreline, but the juvenile was still in the water.

Boating Safety officers searched the lagoon where they later found the boy. The minor was safely boarded into the rescue boat.

The officers tried to find the sunken boat, but could not locate it.

The Tinian case was reported to police Friday at 1:09pm.

Boating Safety officers from Saipan immediately launched the Zodiac III rescue boat.

While Boating Safety officers were on their way to the location—two miles west of Tinian—the U.S. Coast Guard-664 boat informed them they were with the distressed boat and will be towing it north to meet with them.

When the two rescuers met, a switch was made. Boating Safety officers towed the boat, a 20-footer fiberglass, back to Smiling Cove Marina. The boat’s operator and two passengers were in good condition.

The last incident happened Saturday one mile west of the Palms Resort Saipan and was reported to DPS at 6:18pm.

Ogumoro said the Boating Safety officers on board the Zodiac III rescue boat located the distressed boat seven miles west of the resort.

The officers towed the vessel, a Shamrock fiberglass, back to Smiling Cove Marina. The operator and his three passengers were also in good condition.