Coast Guard vessel capsizes off Long Island

NEW YORK - A Coast Guard vessel overturned off Queens while it was trying to help the crew of a fishing boat that had run aground, reports CBS Station WCBS.

The Coast Guard says five crew members swam ashore after its 25-foot rescue boat capsized in rough water in the East Rockaway Inlet.

They were answering a distress call at 2 a.m. from a 76-foot fishing boat, the Carolina Queen III. The fishing boat initially was taking on water. Its crew got that under control, and then went into the inlet and ran aground.

All seven of its occupants were able to get off the ship, but the fishing boat is still stuck in the mud.

Another Coast Guard vessel is on the scene and reports six to eight foot waves have been complicating the issue.

No serious injuries were reported in the incident off Queens.