US Coast Guard, Navy rescue 4 missing divers off coast of Cape Fear, NC
The divers were first reported missing on Sunday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Coast Guard and Navy crews rescued four divers who were reported missing Sunday after launching a search off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, officials said Monday.
The divers were rescued about 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, the U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic announced on social media.
No further details about the rescue or how the men survived were immediately released.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The four men were reported missing after they went diving off a leisure boat called "Big Bill’s" about 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina., around noon and never resurfaced, the Coast Guard said.
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The four missing male divers were rescued and returned to shore, officials said Monday morning. (U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic)
Coast Guard crews from sectors in Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, deployed multiple boats and aircraft, including an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and a HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew, to search for the missing divers about 50 miles south of Cape Fear. The area is near the state line between the two Carolinas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials said the search for the four men continued through the night on Sunday into Monday.
The four men were reported missing after failing to resurface during a dive off a leisure boat about 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, S.C., officials said. (U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic)
At the time of the search, officials said waves were 2 to 3 feet high with winds of around 11 mph.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The identities of the missing divers were not immediately released.
It was unclear when U.S. Coast Guard crews located the men, though officials said they had been working overnight from Sunday into Monday. (Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images, File)
The many shipwrecks off the coasts of both states are a popular draw for divers. The area is known for hundreds of shipwrecks and is called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.