ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard says a man rescued from a sinking fishing boat near the mouth of the Columbia River is suspected of being intoxicated and he faces a charge of boating under the influence.
The man reported his 36-foot boat was taking on water late Saturday night about 25 miles west of Ilwaco, Wash.
A Coast Guard helicopter from Astoria put a rescue swimmer in the water who helped the man into a rescue basket. The man was flown to Ilwaco. He refused to submit to an alcohol breath test.
A Coast Guard boat from Ilwaco reached the scene and confirmed the fishing boat sank. The man said he had struck an unknown object, but the Coast Guard says the official cause of the sinking has not been determined.
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