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Journalism of Courage
Four people died and one was rescued after their boat capsized during a fishing trip on the Gulf of Mexico,according to Louisiana authorities.
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries spokesman Adam Einck said the five left a marina near Venice in south Louisiana at about 6:30 am local time yesterday but that their twin-engine boats motor went out an hour or so later.
The boat took on water and capsized.
Einck said three victims were from Alabama and one was from Louisiana. He said the survivor,33-year-old Heath Dowsey of Alabama,told authorities he held onto a rope on the front of the capsized sport fishing vessel.
The four others,including his father and uncle,became unresponsive,apparently from hypothermia. They were clinging to the side of the boat and four lifejackets,which they had not been able to put on,Eink quoted Dowsey as saying.
The crew of an oil industry supply vessel found the survivor around 1 pm and transported him to a US Coast Guard vessel. He was taken to the Coast Guard station in Venice where he was treated for mild hypothermia by emergency medical personnel,but he declined transport to a hospital.
The Coast Guard identified the victims early today as Wayne Dowsey,the survivors father; Randy Dowsey,the survivors uncle; a woman,Kerri Burns; and Kenny Mac.
They were not able to get out a distress call before this happened, Einck said.
Einck said the boat capsized about 5 kilometres offshore,near the South Pass entrance to the Mississippi River.
It is believed that the four deceased succumbed to hypothermia, he said,adding that the survivor said they became unresponsive after about an hour.
The fifth was able to crawl on top of the boat that was capsized and we believe that was probably why he was able to (survive) the cold water, he said.
