More than a dozen people were rescued from a sinking boat off Pompano Beach near Hillsboro Inlet Sunday.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. about three miles from shore, when a witness said the boat ran over its anchor line, which brought it under water.
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“It looked like they ran over their anchor and the anchor dragged their boat down to the water,” witness Frank Frione said.
Frione was on a fishing charter when he saw the boat sinking nearby. He estimated there were about 14 people on the boat, but he believes at least three were already in the water diving.
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“We threw out life jackets, we threw everything we could overboard," Frione said. "There were children on board that vessel and that was a very scary situation because children were involved.”
Cell phone video caught by Frione as the boat sank shows the boat tilted on its side.
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Broward Sheriff's Office and Good Samaritans responded first and handled the search and rescue.
One woman was heard trying to console the passengers of the sinking boat. "It's alright. These things happen," the woman says in the video.
The boat owners are working on a commercial salvage plan to get the boat out of the water, according to the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard officials said they will perform the investigation after boat is salvaged.
