Florida Keys deputy rescues three from capsized boat

A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office marine deputy saved three people clinging to a capsized vessel off the Florida Keys Tuesday afternoon.

The officer, Deputy Nelson Sanchez, responded to an emergency call about the sinking 18-foot Sea Ray boat about two miles off Duck Key shortly before 4 p.m. Also responding were members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.

Sanchez arrived first, Linhardt said, and saw two woman, ages 19 and 21, and a 55-year-old man holding on to the hull of the overturned boat.

He was able to safely get them out of the water and on to his vessel, according to the sheriff’s office. They did not require serious medical attention, Linhardt said.

The names of the boat passengers were not immediately available. It was also not immediately known how the boat capsized.