Maritime Accident Report: April 25, 2026 — 2 Drown in Bell Cow Lake Capsizing in Oklahoma, Coast Guard Rescues 3 Federal Agents and 2 Boaters Off Puerto Rico, 4 Saved from Ice-Trapped Vessel Near Chefornak, Alaska
This daily report covers notable maritime incidents and offshore casualties from publicly available sources. These summaries are provided for informational awareness and do not constitute legal advice.
Two Men Drown After Bass Boat Capsizes on Bell Cow Lake in Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Two men from Chandler, Oklahoma — 20-year-old Josef Bowser and 55-year-old Donald Buzzell — died after their 1979 Champion bass boat began taking on water and capsized in area B of Bell Cow Lake in Lincoln County. Emergency crews were dispatched around 5:20 p.m. on Saturday after a possible drowning was reported. Both men entered the water and did not resurface; the Oklahoma Highway Patrol dive team recovered both bodies the following day from approximately 12 feet of water.
Source: News9 / Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Police Rescue 3 Federal Agents and 2 Boaters After Two Vessels Capsize Off Isla de Cabras
The U.S. Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Police rescued three federal Customs and Border Protection agents and two boaters Tuesday night after both their vessels capsized in 10-foot swells off Isla de Cabras in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. A good Samaritan first reported a 22-foot capsized vessel with two people clinging to it. When the CBP marine unit arrived to assist, that vessel also capsized, throwing all three agents into the water. A Puerto Rico Police helicopter rescued one boater and one agent, and a Coast Guard MH-65 aircrew deployed a rescue swimmer and hoisted the remaining two agents and the second boater. All five were treated for minor injuries at Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport in San Juan.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard News
Coast Guard Rescues 4, Including a Child, From Ice-Trapped Vessel Near Chefornak, Alaska
A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew rescued three adults and one child from an 18-foot vessel trapped on an ice floe roughly 10 miles west of Chefornak, Alaska, after the family — on a subsistence seal-hunting expedition — was stranded for more than 24 hours. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center were alerted by Alaska State Troopers, and aircrews launched from Air Station Kodiak through 28-degree temperatures, 29-mph winds, and near-zero visibility, flying more than 800 miles in mountainous terrain with blowing snow and icing. All four people were hoisted aboard and flown safely back to Chefornak with no reported injuries. Officials credited the party's three forms of communication, including a satellite device, with enabling the rescue.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard News
If you or a loved one has been affected by a maritime accident, consulting a qualified maritime attorney can help you understand your legal rights under the Jones Act, general maritime law, or the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
