Georgia cargo ship: US Coast Guard rescue final crew member
First responders have 'made contact' with remaining crew members; David Lee Miller reports.
U.S. Coast Guard officials say they have rescued the fourth and final crew member trapped on an overturned cargo ship off the coast of Georgia.
Authorities say the crew trapped aboard the Golden Ray were in the propeller shaft room near the stern of the ship and that rescuers cut into the hull there to pull them out. At least two of the four were able to walk out on their own and all are being evaluated by medical professionals.
Officials have been detailing the dramatic rescue operation via Twitter most of Monday and say operations will now shift to environmental protection, removing the vessel and resuming commerce.
The rescue came 36 hours after the Golden Ray flipped onto its side and caught fire Sunday as it left Brunswick, Georgia, with more than 4,000 vehicles inside.
Twenty people were evacuated before the fire and unstable cargo made it too dangerous to go inside.
Coast Guard crews and port partners respond to an overturned cargo vessel with a fire on board Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in St. Simons Sound, Ga. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
A U.S. Coast Guard boat rides in front of a cargo ship that capsized in the St. Simons Island sound, Ga., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019. (Bobby Haven/The Brunswick News via AP)
People are shown on Jekyll Island's Driftwood Beach as the Golden Ray cargo ship is capsized in the background, off the Georgia coast, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019. (AP/Terry Dickson)
Smoke rises from a cargo ship that capsized in the St. Simons Island, Georgia sound Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019. (Bobby Haven/The Brunswick News via AP)
The ship is owned by South Korean firm Hyundai Glovis, which uses the Port of Brunswick to ship Kia and Hyundai vehicles, along with other cars.
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Georgia's Department of Economic Development says the Port of Brunswick is the No. 1 port in the United States for automobile imports.
The Coast Guard says that the cause of the incident is under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this developing story.