Thanksgiving Day Disaster: One Dead as Catamaran Capsizes [VIDEO]
One passenger drowned after a commercial dive boat capsized in South Florida’s Hillsborough Inlet.
Passengers managed to climb out of the water and onto the overturned hull until help arrived, however, one woman remained pinned underneath the capsized vessel. Three other passengers were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries and later released.
Authorities said the captain of the 45-foot Coral Princess catamaran did everything he could to keep the boat upright after a wave hit it from behind. He was battling rough waters and high winds. A rogue wave is what eventually landed everyone in the water.
A spokesperson for Pompano Fire stated that the inlet is generally tough to "negotiate".
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Broward Sheriff’s Office will launch a homicide investigation into the unfortunate incident. At the time of the capsizing, two crew members and 21 divers were aboard the boat, which is owned by South Florida Diving Headquarters in Pompano Beach.