A watchstander at Coast Guard Station Port O'Connor received a call at approximately 9:30pm Sunday from a woman reporting that her husband, age 38, and two children, ages 13 and 17, were overdue from a fishing trip. The Coast Guard contacted area sheriff's departments to search for the truck and trailer used to transport the 19-foot fishing boat to a dock facility. The truck and trailer were located at approximately 10pm by the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office at Matagorda Harbor.
A watchstander at Station Port O'Connor received a call at approximately 10:30pm from Sector Corpus Christi reporting that employees from an offshore oil rig had spotted three persons in the water matching the description of the missing boaters. A Coast Guard 41-foot boat crew was dispatched from Station Port O'Connor, and an HH-65C rescue helicopter crew and an HU-25 Falcon jet crew from Air Station Corpus Christi were launched to assist in the search.
Workers from the oil rig reported that the 19-foot fishing boat was taking on water and had capsized under the rig. Oil rig employees lowered lines to the children and safely hoisted them onto the rig. A life-ring was lowered for the adult male, but he had reportedly drifted out of sight.
The HH-65C rescue helicopter crew landed on the rig and transported the children to Station Port O'Connor. The children were reunited with family upon reaching the station.
A 41-foot rescue boat crew, helicopter rescue crew and Falcon jet crew are currently on scene searching for the 38-year-old male. The Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead is scheduled to join the search effort this afternoon.
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