BIDDEFORD — Rescue crews from Biddeford, Saco and the U.S. Coast Guard nabbed seven people from the ocean on Sunday afternoon after their boat capsized two miles off the shore of Biddeford Pool.

According to Biddeford Fire Chief Scott Gagne, Biddeford Fire Department was contacted at 3:38 p.m. by the boat’s driver stating the 24-foot boat had experienced a motor malfunction and was taking on water at a fast rate.

Members of both the Biddeford and Saco Fire departments launched rescue boats to the area while the U.S. Coast guard also launched a quick response boat from its South Portland station, as well as a fixed wing aircraft from Cape Cod. The aircraft was first to see the boat’s occupants when it was over Timber Point in Biddeford.

“When the aircraft arrived on scene the boat had capsized and all seven people, three adults and four kids, were in the water,” Gagne said.

The boaters were thought to have been in the water for about 30 minutes before being rescued, Gagne added.

Petty officers at the South Portland Coast Guard said the water temperature at that time was 63 degrees.

The Saco Fire Department and Coast Guard transported the boat’s occupants to Cape Porpoise Pier in Kennebunkport before they were all taken to Southern Maine Health Care hospital in Biddeford as a precaution. None of the boats occupants suffered life-threatening injuries.

The reason for the boats malfunction remains unclear at press time.

— Staff Writer Ryder Schumacher can be reached at 282-1535, or via email at rschumacher@journaltribune.com.