A water taxi with 25 people aboard capsized Saturday in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after a violent gust of wind struck the boat, leaving passengers frantically clinging to the overturned pontoon boat in frigid waters. One person died and three were missing.
Rescuers said they saw up to a dozen passengers climbing across the bottom of the 36-foot craft after gusts of up to 50 m.p.h. flipped the boat over early in the evening. The water temperature was in the low 40s.
“It was like the twilight zone. It was eerie how the weather just overtook the vessel,” said Command Master Chief Melvin Johnson of the Navy Reserve.
Petty Officer Edward Mendez said he watched the gusts toss the vessel “like a little toy boat getting blown out of control.”
Late into the night, Coast Guard and police helicopters joined rescue boats to search the harbor, where museums, restaurants and other tourist attractions line the shores.
Twenty-two people were rescued; one woman died at a nearby hospital. Three people are missing, and Baltimore Fire Chief William Goodwin said officials did not expect to find any more survivors.
Tourists and members of the Puerto Rico National Guard were among those aboard the boat when it capsized about 100 yards offshore, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Naval Reserve officers, stationed at a nearby center conducting drills, saw the boat overturn and rushed to the scene in rescue boats. Some jumped into the water and pulled about a dozen people from the water.
“Ten of our guys went into the water to rescue the passengers. A couple guys just dove in–no wet suits,” Mendez said.
Goodwin said it was lucky that the reservists saw the accident. “Had no one been looking, this tragedy would have been far more tragic than it was.”
A woman in her 60s died at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. An 8-year-old girl was revived and was having surgery Saturday night at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, police said.
The boat was part of a fleet of 11 Seaport Taxis operated by the Living Classroom Foundation, said James Bond, president of the organization that serves at-risk youth. About 250,000 people, mostly tourists, are transported every year.
“It was 70 degrees and a beautiful day. This storm came out of nowhere,” Bond said.
The boat was carrying 25 people, including two crew members who survived. It was equipped with life preservers, but passengers are not required to wear them.
“No one on the craft had time to get their life preservers on,” said Maj. Frederick Bealfeld of the Baltimore Police Department.
The boat was recovered and towed into a city dock.
“She was ready for an inspection on Monday and in shape the way she should be,” Bond said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
