San Diego
Eight Coast Guard personnel were overcome by carbon monoxide Monday while working to keep a 110-foot tugboat from sinking in San Diego Bay, Coast Guard Chief Mike Witcomb said.
The Coast Guard was called about 4:20 p.m. when the tugboat Tom Banks began taking on water between the 24th and 32nd street piers, Witcomb said.
A helicopter lowered pumps to remove the water and by 11 p.m. the leak had been patched with the help of the Coast Guard, he said.
During the rescue, eight Coast Guard members and several of the tug’s crew were overcome by carbon monoxide, Witcomb said.
The Coast Guard personnel were treated at the Navy Hospital in Balboa Park and released. Members of the tug boat’s crew were treated at the scene. It is unclear what caused them to be overcome by what apparently where diesel fumes. Gasoline-powered pumps were used on the tug, which was slated to go into dry-dock for repairs.
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