3 Catalina Island Boaters Drown as Waves Slam Skiff, 4 Rescued

3 Catalina Island boaters drowned and four others were rescued when big waves capsized their boat, reported the Los Angeles Times.

The incident happened about 9:30 a.m. Saturday as waves slammed into a boat with seven men in it off the Catalina Island coast, off Salta Verde Point, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Spencer Parker told the Times.

The capsized boat was described by authorities as a 22-foot skiff, reported KCAL-TV.

Authorities identified the three men who died as Kyung Hwan Kim, 47, Jason Jung Noh, 62, and Young Joon Park, 64, said the Times. KTLA-TV said all the victims were 40 or over, but few other details about the men why they were in the boat were reported in the media.

KLTA-TV said a passing fishing boat rescued two of the boaters after witnessing it capsize.

"They immediately began CPR until Baywatch Avalon got on scene and they took over the CPR effort," Coast Guard Lt. Christine Igisomar told KTLA-TV.

A third boater was picked up by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and a Catalina Island Conservatory officer found a fourth man who manage to reach the island after the accident, noted KTLA-TV.

KCAL-TV said the Coast Guard took one survivor to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center while Los Angeles County Fire paramedics transported the other three people to area hospitals.

The four surviving victims were all initially listed in critical condition, according to a county fire department dispatcher, but the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department later Saturday stated that two were in fair condition, stated KCAL-TV.

Greg Obymako, captain of the overnight fishing charter the Pacific Quest, which witnessed the accident, told KCAL-TV that the incident was "pretty horrific."

"It's not every day that you see people, floating, trying to swim and they go under and disappear," Obymako told the television station. "It's not something pretty. It's not pretty to see dead bodies on backs of boats. … It's not something you wish on anybody or anything like that."

The Times reported that the sheriff department's homicide division has started investigating the deaths, which is reported to be standard procedure for the department.

Related Stories:

• Coast Guard Suspends Search for Reportedly Capsized Boat in New Jersey
  
• Man Treads Water for Nearly 20 Hours Before Coast Guard Rescue