Casino boat stuck overnight on rocks off Georgia coast

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A casino boat with 123 people aboard was grounded off the Georgia coast on Wednesday, and rescuers were waiting for high tide at midday to escort passengers off the vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard said. "It’s basically stuck on rocks," said Coast Guard spokesman Anthony Soto. The 174-foot boat carrying 96 passengers and 27 crew members grounded just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, about 2 miles northeast of Tybee Island, Soto said. It was unclear what time the casino boat had departed from a marina in nearby Savannah. Soto said those aboard the boat, called the Escapade, were not in danger but were wearing life vests as a precaution. "We don’t have any medical concerns so far," Soto said, adding that a rescue vessel is expected to arrive around noon. (Reporting by David Beasley; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Susan Heavey)