Coast Guard rescues 2 people after yacht sinks off SC coast

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Coast Guard rescuers saved two people from the water after their yacht sank off South Carolina.

The Coast Guard said the rescue happened Friday near the Winyah Bay entrance, close to Georgetown. The spouse of a mariner aboard the 44-foot vessel, called The Answer My Friend, placed a distress call that the yacht needed assistance.

A good Samaritan at the scene found the vessel on a jetty partially submerged, but could not find the mariners on board. A helicopter crew helped a Coast Guard vessel locate and recover the two people from the water, and they were treated for shock and hypothermia.

The Coast Guard did not identify the mariners. It said the cause of the sinking was still under investigation Saturday, and that the owner of the vessel would coordinate salvage.