Coast Guard rescues six people from Boston Harbor

The Coast Guard rescued six people from Boston Harbor early Sunday after their 23-foot boat began to sink.

Petty Officer Andrew Barresi in Boston said the boat was mostly underwater by the time the Coast Guard rescue team arrived. State Police received a 911 call from the sinking boat around 1:30 a.m. All six were rescued from the water about 20 minutes later between Castle and Thompson islands, about a half-mile from land, he said.

No injuries were reported. What caused the boat to sink is under investigation. Some of those rescued were wearing life jackets, Barresi said.

"Boats go down pretty quickly," he said. "In this case we were able to get out there really quickly. ... But your chances of surviving if you have a life jacket are so much better than if you don't."

The incident comes after a Boston Harbor cruise ship on Saturday struck three other cruise ships as it was returning to Long Wharf. The Regency had a mechanical failure when it drifted into the other ships, the Coast Guard said. No injuries were reported.

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @MILLERdfillmore