Coast Guard rescues 5 people, including a child, from waters off Puerto Rico

A group of four adults and a minor were rescued from Puerto Rico’s Guanica Bay by the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this week after their boat took on water and capsized.

The San Juan Coast Guard was notified of the boat’s presence around 6:30 p.m. local time, and a helicopter arrived around 7:20 p.m. to help people out of the water, the coast guard said in a statement.

They were then taken to Mercedita International Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and reunited with their waiting family members. No injuries were reported.

The minor in question was a 4-year-old boy, according to the Puerto Rican newspaper Metro. The Coast Guard has not identified any of the people rescued.

Puerto Rico’s Joint Rapid Action Forces also attempted to respond to the scene, but were thwarted by a reef and shoreline in the area. Coast Guard officials credited life vests with keeping rescuers alive while they wait for help.

“The success of the mission was largely due to the individuals having appropriate flotation devices, which allowed us to perform an effective rescue,” said Lt. Luke Dewhirst, helicopter commander at the base. Coast Guard Air Force of Borinquen, in the press release.