HONOLULU (KHON2) — Two boaters were hospitalized Friday, July 16, after the sailboat they were in ran aground less than a mile off Keehi Lagoon.
The victims, a 56-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman, were taken to hospital in stable condition, according to emergency medical services.
Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) officials said a 37-foot sailboat reportedly ran aground about 4,000 feet from Keehi Lagoon before 6:46 p.m. Friday. The injured man had suffered lacerations to his left wrist and finger and the woman had head and neck injuries, firefighters said.
The two injured boaters were brought ashore via a lifeboat and transferred to EMS at 7:18 p.m., according to firefighters, and two other uninjured occupants of the sailboat refused to receive medical treatment after being brought ashore at 8:08 p.m. Friday.
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FILE – Debris from a beached sailboat washes up on the rocky shore of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, July 17, 2021. (Photo by Rick Walkinshaw)
The vessel was seen drifting ashore near Pupu Street in Ewa Beach on Saturday July 17, and debris could also be seen along the rocky shoreline.
HFD also responded to two reported emergency flare sightings near the mouth of Keehi Lagoon during the sailboat salvage operation. After investigation, an HFD rescue boat located a single kayaker who had run aground near the sailboat.
The kayaker was brought ashore with his boat without injury, according to HFD.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the sailboat stranded off Keehi was the same vessel that broke away from a tow about 10 miles off Koko Head on Friday morning. The Coast Guard later provided an update stating that the broken tow was a separate incident from the sailboat stranded off Keehi.
