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Boat on its way to Pagan sinks in Alamagan
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Posted on Jul 07 2020
On Friday, June 26, 2020, at about 2pm, the CNMI Department of Public Safety Impact boat was approached by an individual and informed of an overdue vessel that had not made it to the island of Pagan. The individual stated that they were aboard another vessel while their privately owned white, fiberglass, 20-foot boat, was driven by two other individuals who did not make it to the island of Pagan.
Police learned from the two crew members that sometime around 4pm they left Saipan en route to Pagan with another vessel on Thursday, June 25, 2020. At around 10pm that night the 20-foot boat began to experience engine troubles and lost sight of the other vessel it was following. The two crew members proceeded north and arrived on the island of Guguan at around 7am the next morning. The crew decided to anchor and take a rest break before proceeding north.
At about 12pm, the two crew members left the island of Guguan and headed for the island of Alamagan. Sometime around 5pm, the crew made it to the island and anchored the boat just outside the village in Alamagan. One crew member proceeded up to the village in Alamagan to notify the other vessel they were following that they had made it safely to Alamagan. The crew members returned back to the anchored boat to catch some rest.
At about 3am on Saturday, June 27, 2020, the crew members woke up and noticed that the boat had drifted about six miles from the island while it was taking in water. The crew managed to get the engine started and slowly made their way back toward Alamagan. Within about 100 feet from the shoreline, the crew had to abandon ship as the boat began submerging underwater. The two crew members swam into shore as they awaited the impact rescue boat. (PR)
