The US Coast Guard has responded to and is investigating a collision that reportedly took place between a tug and barge and a pontoon boat near the Emerald Isle High-Rise Bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on Tuesday, November 3.
The coast guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast to mariners in the region, and dispatched a special purpose craft-shallow water response boat crew and a response boat-medium boat crew after they were notified that two people aboard a pontoon boat had entered the water in the vicinity of Emerald Isle High-Rise Bridge.
One individual was reportedly removed from the water by the crew of a commercial salvage company that was nearby while the second was reportedly rescued by a good Samaritan vessel. Both individuals were brought to shore where they were met by awaiting emergency medical services and transferred to a local hospital.
The incident is under investigation.