Navy helicopter rescues family from boat capsized in Hurricane Maria
Footage shows a woman and her two children hoisted to safety by a helicopter - but a man trapped in their capsized boat died.
Friday 22 September 2017 11:17, UK
The Royal Navy staged a dramatic helicopter rescue of a mother and her two children from a boat capsized in Hurricane Maria.
US Coast Guard footage shows British rescuers hoisting the woman and two children to safety just off Vieques, a Puerto Rican island hit by the full devastating force of the storm.
A man was unable to escape from the boat and the Coast Guard said rescuers were unable to retrieve his body.
The Coast Guard in Miami received an alert and a distress call stating that the boat - the Ferrel - was disabled and adrift in 20ft (6m) waves and 99mph winds on Wednesday.
Rescuers were in contact with the 146ft research vessel, but lost radio contact as conditions worsened - hampering the initial search effort.
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Helicopters reached the area on Thursday as part of a coordinated search between the US Coast Guard, which sent a search plane and a cutter, the Navy, using an amphibious assault ship and helicopters and US Customs and Border Protection, which deployed a plane.
They found the woman and her two children standing on the underside of the boat, which had capsized in the category five storm and was still being buffeted by huge waves.
The names and nationalities of those on board the vessel have not been released.