Coast Guard rushes to sinking catamaran off Southern California coast

Search and rescue teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies rescued 11 people from a catamaran that was slowly sinking off the coast of Orange County on Saturday night, officials said.

The vessel, a 50-foot charter named Manute’a, began taking on water approximately seven miles south of Dana Point Harbor.

The Coast Guard said it received a distress call around 6:20 p.m. and immediately mobilized crews with help from the Dana Point Harbor Patrol and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“(A Coast Guard) cutter’s small boat crew, along with partner agency vessels, arrived on scene, controlled the flooding, and safely transferred all 11 passengers to another charter vessel operated by the same company,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.

No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew. A tow boat later brought the catamaran back to Dana Point Harbor.