Explosion on yacht off of Sandy Hook

[storminsteve]

Hey guys just a heads up.I was fishing at Sandy Hook earlier and might be closing parts of the road off by the Coast Guard Station. There was a yacht offshore that had an explosion and there are all sorts of emergency vehicles there now.

[clamchucker]

SANDY HOOK (http://www.nj.com/sandy-hook) — A large boat exploded off the coast of Sandy Hook early this evening, causing several serious burn injuries and nearly two dozen passengers to abandon ship, according to the United States Coast Guard and TV reports.
The explosion occurred at around 4:20 p.m. about 17 miles out to sea, causing 21 people to jump ship. Some aboard escaped on lifeboats, the Coast Guard said.
Nine are injured, according to Gateway National Recreation Area spokesman John Warren. The Coast Guard asked the Gateway National Recreation Area help arrange transportation for the injured, Warren said.
The extent of the injuries has not been confirmed, but WABC-TV in New York has reported nine serious burn injuries.
As of 5:50 p.m., the Coast Guard has not yet found any debris or lifeboats. The agency said the initial emergency call they received said the boat, a yacht named the Blind Date, exploded and sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
Two Coast Guard helicopters, three 47-foot motor life boats, three New York Police Department helicopters and a Nassau County helicopter are responding to the scene. Two good Samaritan boats in the area of the accident are also assisting, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
State Police has a 50-foot rescue boat en route and their rescue helicopter with hoist capability and rescue divers has also been dispatched, said State Police spokesman Lt. Steven Jones.
At Bahr's restaurant in Highlands, hostess Alyse Storzieri said she saw "flashing lights" and at least two ambulances heading toward the ocean.
View full size (http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/photo/ga0612boatjpg-f885c3918111681c.jpg)Tim Sparvero/The Star-Ledger
"I saw one ambulance drive down along the beach and another ambulance just pulled up." Storzieri said it was at a booth near the entrance to Sandy Hook.
Star-Ledger staff writers Jeanette Rundquist and James Queally contributed to this report.
Related coverage:
• Boat capsizes in Raritan Bay, killing one, while four are rescued from the water (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/boat_capsizes_in_raritan_bay_k.html)
• Deadly dive off N.J. coast has officials investigating two other mishaps involving same boat (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/deadly_dive_off_nj_coast_has_o.html)
• Rescue effort for missing Lacey Township man in boating accident halted (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/rescue_effort_for_missing_lace.html)

[hookset]

Just saw this on the news. So far no signs of any survivors. I thought that was kinda strange since good samaritan vessles are out there looking. Hope they can save some of them.

[Monty]

May be a hoax
http://abcnews.go.com/US/mystery-sea-yacht-explosion-report-hoax/story?id=16543986#.T9aRSrX4Jeo


The Coast Guard responded to a reported yacht explosion in the Atlantic Ocean about 17.5 miles east of Sandy Hook, N.J. where at least nine passengers were reportedly injured today, but officials are considering the possibility that the call was a hoax.

More than three after a distress call saying 21 people had safely abandoned ship but nine had serious burns, neither a flotilla of rescue boats nor a flight of helicopters could find any evidence of the vessel Blind Date or any wreckage from an explosion, according to the Coast Guard. No victims had been found, either.

After receiving the call, the Coast Guard declared a mass casualty incident and requested multiple helicopters to assist with rescue.

Nine people were reported to have second and third degree burns, and 21 people were said to be on board, Coast Guard Petty Officer Erik Swanson said.

"The explosion was reported to us by one of the people on board the vessel after it happened from a solar powered radio, because their electronics on board were destroyed during the explosion," Swanson said.
Officials with several agencies involved in the search said told ABC News it is "highly unusual" to be unable to locate any debris or find any survivors when they receive such a clear position and respond as quickly as they did in this case.

ABC News reached the owners of the yachts Blind Date and Blind Date II, and both said their boats were not lost at sea. The owner of the Blind Date II, however, said there is another yacht called Blind Date that is moored in the Netherlands.

The Coast Guard was notified at 4:20 p.m. of an explosion on board a yacht called the Blind Date, according to WABC. Passengers reported that they had suffered "some kind of explosion on the boat," according to the Coast Guard. Authorities do not know the cause or scale of the explosion.

All of the boat's passengers were forced to abandon ship and were in life rafts, and all of the passengers were accounted for, the person who called it in told the Coast Guard.

A private boat, the Erica, was nearby and was on-scene helping the victims while they wait for the Coast Guard to arrive, the caller said.

Two New York Police Department helicopters responded to the scene. Two medevac landing zones were set up on Sandy Hook and nearby Atlantic Highlands for ambulances to meet.

[fishinmission78]

"The explosion was reported to us by one of the people on board the vessel after it happened from a solar powered radio, because their electronics on board were destroyed during the explosion," Swanson said.
Officials with several agencies involved in the search said told ABC News it is "highly unusual" to be unable to locate any debris or find any survivors when they receive such a clear position and respond as quickly as they did in this case.



Yup, hoax

[surfstix1963]

Yep had to be something floating around even if there was no explosion and it sank somebody"s red cup would be floating around lol.