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Capsized Boat Off Catalina Island Leaves 3 Dead, 4 Hurt

AVALON (CBSLA.com) — Three men were killed and four  more were injured Saturday after a boat capsized off the coast of Catalina, authorities said.

The 22-foot skiff was carrying seven passengers when it capsized around 9:30 a.m., according to Los Angeles County Fire officials. The incident occurred on what officials described as the back side of Catalina Island.

A witness reported the vessel with seven people on board had overturned near Salta Verde Point on the backside of the island, according to Sondra-Kay Kneen of the U.S. Coast Guard. Waves in the area were reported to be rough and between four and six feet.

The three deceased were all declared dead at the scene.

On Saturday evening, the coroner identified the deceased as 47-year-old Kyung Kim of Los Angeles, 62-year-old Jason Noh of Buena Park and 64-year-old Young Park of Los Angeles.

Two boaters were rescued from the water by a Good Samaritan, who spotted another boater on rocks nearby and alerted a Coast Guard crew, Kneen said.

The Coast Guard transported one person to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics took the other three people to area hospitals, Kneen said.

The four surviving victims were listed in critical condition, according to a county fire department dispatcher. Late Saturday, the LA Sheriff's Department said two of the men were in fair condition, two remained critical.

Earlier, officials also described the boat as a 15-foot skiff but later described the skiff as 22-foot.

KCAL9's Laurie Perez said the boat was not recoverable.

She spoke to witnesses -- crew and passengers who were aboard an overnight fishing charter called the Pacific Quest -- who saw the boat capsize.

Passengers and crew returned to the Long Beach Pier around 7 p.m. and she said many were still visibly shaken.

Out of respect to the victims and the families, the captain told Perez he did not want to share many details of the accident beyond saying it was heartbreaking.

"It was pretty horrific," said Capt. Greg Obymako. "It's not every day that you see people, floating, trying to swim and they go under and disappear. It's not something pretty. It's not pretty to see dead bodies on backs of boats ,,,  It's not something you wish on anybody or anything like that."

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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