Dozens of emergency medical technicians and five medevac helicopters were standing by at Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook awaiting the arrival of victims of a yacht explosion 17 miles offshore late Monday afternoon.
All 21 passengers and crew members of the yacht Blind Date were believed to have been accounted for, and seven to nine are expected to arrive by Coast Guard boat with burn injuries, according to Max Ross, captain of Rumson EMS.
The injured are reported to have second- and third-degree burns, he said.
At 6 p.m., rescue crews were believed to be about 20 minutes out from Sandy Hook, said Jennifer Brennan, also of Rumson EMS.
The yacht is believed to have exploded about 17 miles due east of Sandy Hook at around 4:20 p.m., local officials said. No cause was yet known.
