3 Rescued After Boat Sinks Off Oceanside Coast; Dog Missing

OCEANSIDE, CA — Three men were rescued from the ocean Thursday morning after their boat sank about 6 miles northwest of Oceanside Harbor, authorities said.

The Oceanside Fire Department's Marine Safety Unit responded after the U.S. Coast Guard received a mayday call from the 39-foot vessel around 5:30 a.m. The boaters reported they were sinking before radio communication was lost.

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The Coast Guard traced the vessel's last known signal and asked Oceanside's Marine Safety Unit to assist with the search.

As the rescue crew approached the area, a crew member spotted three men wearing life jackets in the water about 200 yards away, according to the fire department. All three were pulled from the water.

The men were evaluated by a paramedic and given food, water and warm clothing for exhaustion and mild hypothermia. They declined further medical treatment.

The boaters told rescuers their vessel began taking on water early Thursday and sank rapidly. They issued the mayday call, put on life jackets and entered the water before the boat sank.

The men said they were the only people aboard, but their dog was missing after the sinking.

Oceanside crews and a Coast Guard helicopter searched the surrounding water and shoreline but did not find the dog or the sunken vessel.

The three men were taken back to Oceanside Harbor and released.