Six-Year Old Found Alive Under Capsized Boat

A six-year-old boy was found alive under a capsized boat near Huntington Park, Newport News, Va. last night. The boy was found by Newport News Dive Team members in a joint-agency rescue effort involving the Coast Guard, Virginia Marine Resource Commission, Newport News lifeguards and Newport News Fire and Rescue. The Coast Guard was notified at approximately 5:30 this afternoon of a 15-foot pleasure craft capsized in the James River with four people already recovered and the boy missing. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth immediately launched a 25-foot rescue boat, and the Coast Guard Cutter Kennebec, a 160-foot construction tender stationed at Portsmouth, was diverted to assist. Following over two hours of unsuccessful attempts to get inside the boat, the Kennebec was able to lift the boat slightly out of the water, allowing the divers to get far enough inside to locate the boy and pull him safely out. The boy was taken to Leeward Marina in Newport News and EMS transferred him to Riverside Hospital in good condition. The boy was wearing a lifejacket during the incident. The Coast Guard strongly advises all mariners to wear a life jacket when underway.