VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — The US. Coast Guard has rescued six people after a boat overturned off the coast of Virginia.

The Coast Guard said in a news release late Sunday that the vessel overturned in the Atlantic Ocean about 16 miles from Virginia Beach.

Watchstanders had received an alert from a personal locator beacon. But the boat's owner could not be reached.
People who knew the owner told the coast guard that the owner went fishing with a group of people.

They provided a description of the boat.

The Fifth District Command Center dispatched a helicopter aircrew that had been training nearby. A boat crew was also launched in the rescue.

The helicopter crew found four people on the hull of an overturned 24-foot fishing boat. Two people were on the Chesapeake Light Tower, which is nearby.

All six individuals were hoisted into the helicopter. No injuries were reported.

James Cifers, a civilian watchstander at the Fifth District Command Center, praised the owner's use of a personal locator beacon.

"This case could have turned out quite different if the owner had not bought and registered his device," he said.

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