One person is dead and his brother is injured after a U.S. Coast Guard cutter collided with a fishing boat off Puerto Rico Monday, officials said.
The 154-foot U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser and the Desakata, a 23-foot commercial fishing vessel, crashed at around 2:20 p.m. Monday afternoon, about four nautical miles north of Dorado, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard said.
Two brothers, identified by the Coast Guard as Carlos Rosario and Samuel Rosario Beltrán, had been aboard the Desakata.
The two fishermen were recovered by the crew aboard the Winslow Griesser, a Sentinel Class fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, following the collision.
Carlos was fatally injured, the Coast Guard said, while Samuel sustained injuries but survived the crash.
Samuel was taken to the Centro Medico hospital in San Juan for treatment. Carlos' remains will be transferred to Forensics Science Institute in San Juan, the Coast Guard said.
“We sincerely mourn the passing of Carlos Rosario following the collision between a Coast Guard cutter and the fishing vessel Desakata this afternoon,” said Capt. José E. Díaz, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan.
“We send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones, and pray they find strength during this most difficult time," Díaz said.
It is unclear what caused the crash. Díaz said a thorough investigation would be carried out "to determine the causal factors" and "so that we can prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future."
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what caused the collision.
