Catalina Island boaters die
According to Los Angeles Coroner’s officials three Korean men who were killed after a small boat capsized off Santa Catalina Island have been identified.
Kyung Kim, 47, of Los Angeles, Jason Noh, 62, of Buena Park, and Young Park, 64, of Los Angeles, died in the incident, the coroner’s office said in a released statement.
Four other men were rescued and hospitalized, reports KTLA.
According to CNN, the U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach center got a call about 9:30 a.m. when a 15-foot skiff with seven men overturned near Salta Verde Point on the backside of the island.
The boat apparently capsized after being hit by two waves, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. All victims on the boat were men over 40, according to the agency.
Good Samaritans on board a fishing boat in the area witnessed the incident, rescued two boaters and reported seeing another person on the rocks, officials said.
“They immediately began CPR until Baywatch Avalon got one scene and they took over the CPR effort,” said Coast Guard Lt. Christine Igisomar.
KTLA adds:
The third boater was eventually rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. A Catalina Island Conservancy officer found another man who had made it safely to shore. The four survivors were taken to local hospitals on the mainland, two were reported in fair condition and two were in critical condition, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Baywatch officials recovered the three deceased men from the water, officials said.
“It was pretty horrific,” the captain of a charter fishing boat who witnessed the incident said.
“It’s not everyday that you see people up, floating, trying to swim, and then they go under and disappear.”
Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths, officials said.