Tug and Barge Collide with Pontoon Boat in North Carolina

A 94-foot tug and barge has collided with a pontoon boat near the Emerald Isle High-Rise Bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, Tuesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it issued an urgent marine information broadcast to mariners in the region, and dispatched a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water response boat crew and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew, after they were notified that two people aboard a pontoon boat entered the water in the vicinity of Emerald Isle High-Rise Bridge.

One individual was reportedly removed from the water by the crew of a commercial salvage company that was nearby, and another reportedly rescued by a good Samaritan.

Both individuals were brought to shore where they were met with awaiting emergency medical services and transferred to Carteret Health Care hospital.

This incident is under investigation.