Ten people were rescued early Saturday after their vessel overturned near the James River Bridge.
The 20-foot pleasure craft capsized around 3:45 a.m. off Morgarts Beach on the Isle of Wight County side of the river about 6 miles upstream from the bridge, according to a news release from the Coast Guard.
A team in a 29-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Portsmouth rescued two of the people from the water, while the Newport News Fire Department rescued the other eight.
Two people were taken to a hospital for minor scrapes.
Virginia Marine Police charged the operator of the vessel with boating under the influence, according to the news release.
The Coast Guard did not immediately provide details on the time of the incident, its exact location or the type of vessel involved.
“Boaters should always wear their life jackets and never operate a vessel under the influence,” said Lt. Brad Milliken, the command duty officer at Sector Hampton Roads command center, in the news release. “While there were no reports of severe injuries in this incident, the outcomes in cases like this can be far worse, because not wearing life jackets and boating under the influence are the two leading factors in boating fatalities.”
