OUTER BANKS, N.C. — Five people people were rescued on Thursday after their sailboat began sinking off the coast of Cape Hatteras, according to the Coast Guard.

The crew of the Magic Bus, a sailing vessel, radioed for help after they discovered their vessel was taking on water. All five occupants abandoned the vessel and boarded a life raft before calling for assistance, according to the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard officials dispatched the cutter Angela McShan as well as an HC-130 Hercules and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City. The HC-130 crew was the first to spot the life raft, according to the Coast Guard.

Because the rescue mission was roughly 260 miles offshore, the Coast Guard enlisted support from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which provided re

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