Two individuals faced the perils of a sinking vessel on the St. Johns River near Shands Bridge but were brought back to solid ground with no injuries by the St. Johns County Fire Rescue yesterday afternoon. The rescue operation swiftly ensued after a distress call was signaled about a mile north of the bridge. First Coast News reported that upon the arrival of rescue units from the West Battalion and Marine Rescue Division, two passengers were found detached from their sinking craft by the river’s current.
The response teams managed to quickly rescue the two victims as the strong current tried to pull them further away from safety. "When crews arrived, they found two people in the water. Firefighters rescued the passengers who officials said were pulled away from their sinking boat due to the current," as per the information obtained by First Coast News. Efforts are currently underway to salvage the submerged boat, which is being handled by a private company.
The incident was also documented on the St. Johns County Fire Rescue's Facebook page, providing a firsthand account of the events: "Vessel 3 arrived on scene and found two occupants in the water, separated from their sinking boat. Firefighters rescued the two occupants, who were being pulled by the current from their sinking vessel, and safely returned them to shore with no injuries," confirmed the Facebook post. This aligns with the account of the incident presented by Action News Jax, which stated that firefighters acted expediently to secure the safety of the individuals.
