NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued eight people from Lake Pontchartrain Friday night.
Coast Guard officials say they received a report from New Orleans 911 dispatch around 9 p.m. that four people were in the water in Lake Pontchartrain, and three other people were on a 35-foot sailboat.
The group in the water was swimming, and the operator of the vessel tried to get them back into the boat, but the boat drifted away. The three individuals that were on the boat did not know how to operate the vessel.
A boat and helicopter were sent out to find the group. Before the Coast Guard arrived, a Good Samaritan rescued five people from the water.
The Coast Guard boat crew towed the boat with the other three people to the West End boat launch.
The United States Coast Guard said in an email, "all eight persons were last reported to be in stable condition."
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