Couple without lifejackets tread water for 14 hours after falling off boat
The couple were rescued from their ordeal by a group of men who were out on a fishing trip
A Texas couple without lifejackets spent more than 14 hours treading water after they fell off their 30ft boat on Friday night.
Sean McGovern, 49, and Mellissa Morris, 51, were left stranded without any means of communication following the incident in Key Largo, Florida.
The couple’s ordeal came to an end when four men who were on a fishing trip nearby rescued them seven miles off Hallandale Beach.
Speaking to WSVN, one of the rescuers, Adam White said: “We originally thought they were fish. We got up close and once we realized that they were in trouble, we brought them on board.”
Ms Morris had to be lifted out of the water as she was suffering from cramp, while Mr McGovern had been stung several times by jellyfish throughout the course of the night.
US Coastguard spokesperson Mark Bayne told CNN that the pair were very lucky and “to be located and recovered by off-duty cops and a firefighter – that’s a stroke of luck right there”.
The couple’s boat, Fishawk, later washed up in Fort Lauderdale.
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