11 people rescued after pontoon boat flips off Fort Myers Beach

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK)—New body camera video from the Lee County Sheriff's Office shows deputies pulling people from the water after a pontoon boat overturned in the Gulf on Tuesday afternoon.

Before deputies arrived, nearby boaters were already jumping in to help. A 911 call captured the urgency of the moment.

"We just watched the pontoon boat flip over. Two-decker pontoon boat. I mean, it flipped right over," a caller said.

Another caller described the scene as help arrived.

"There's about six boats surrounding it now… looks like people are trying to go help," the caller said.

Photos taken by a nearby boater show people trapped underneath the flipped boat, trying to climb out. Witnesses described the chaotic rescue effort.

"Everybody just tried. We threw them a float attached to a rope, and people were throwing out life jackets, and so everybody was trying to get them out of the water… These people were crawling out from underneath the boat," Deanna Spidel said.

Investigators say strong winds and a large wave caused the boat to overturn, sending everyone into the water. All 11 people were rescued, with two taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

"I think it was just a family like grandma, grandpa, you know, mom and dad, the kids, you know, that kind of an outing. One guy said we weren't even going fast, like, eight miles an hour, just cruising," Spidel said.

According to the sheriff’s office, their marine unit was on scene within three minutes of the call. Spidel says one woman was pulled onto her boat.

"It was scary. I mean, that poor woman that got in our boat, I would guess her, maybe in her late 60s, maybe 70, and she was scared to death," Spidel said.

She estimates those on board were in the water for just five to 10 minutes, but says it felt much longer in the moment. Debris from the boat scattered across the water.

"All their stuff was flying everywhere, their coolers, I think the boat kind of fell apart and just started, you know, like the seats of that kind of came out of them, and it was just stuff streaming all over the water," Spidel said.

Deputies say those on board were locals. They did not have an update on the two that were transported to the hospital, but say their injuries were minor.