1 Rescued, 3 Missing After Boat Sinks In Washington

A search and rescue mission on Wednesday shifted into a recovery operation after a boat sank in Washington’s Possession Sound, just north of Seattle.

Everett Fire Department, Everett Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife all responded to a report of a boat sinking hundreds of feet offshore west of Harborview Park shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.

One person from the boat, a man in his 50s, was rescued from the sinking vessel by passing boaters, and was uninjured, police said. The man reported that there were three other people on board the boat, a man in his 60s, a man in his 20s, and a woman in her 40s.

Police said the group was out shrimping when the 26-foot vessel began taking on water. Rescuers arrived to find the vessel “substantially” submerged, and despite efforts to tow the boat back to shallower waters, it ultimately sank, police said.

Fire officials later Wednesday said the search operation had shifted to a recovery operation led by the police department, which was expected to continue Thursday.

Police said an investigation is underway to determine the cause and circumstances of the boat’s sinking.