Coast Guard rescues 4 Canadians from capsized catamaran off North Carolina

Four Canadian mariners were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their boat capsized 140 miles off the shore of Wilmington, North Carolina, the USCG said in a release.

The Coast Guard Command Center received an emergency signal at 12:18 p.m. from Moon Dragon, a catamaran off the coast of North Carolina Sunday afternoon.

Once at the scene, an airplane crew found the capsized catamaran and a covered life raft. All four aboard the Moon Dragon were found safe in the raft and were uninjured, using a radio to call for help.

The mariners were saved by a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crew and sent to Air Station Elizabeth City.

The four aboard the catamaran told the Coast Guard that their hatches broke on both the port and starboard sides of the vessel, causing the catamaran to flood and forcing them to abandon ship.