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12 people rescued by air from ship in Gulf of Mexico

Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders received a call around 3:40 a.m. Friday about a 160-foot vessel taking on water.

Twelve people were rescued from a ship as Hurricane Harvey approached the Texas coast.

PORT MANSFIELD, Texas -- Twelve people were rescued from a ship as Hurricane Harvey approached the Texas coast.

Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders received a call around 3:40 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, about a 160-foot vessel taking on water, according to a news release.

Live blog: 3 News' coverage of Hurricane Harvey

A tug dispatched to help the 12-person crew of the Gulf Justice could not reach the ship. Two Coast Guard aircrews then were dispatched to pull each person off.

Operations began at 1:03 p.m. with seven people pulled, and the remaining five were rescued at 2:06 p.m., the release states.

Everyone is expected to be OK.

"The Coast Guard was relieved to rescue these 12 people before Hurricane Harvey impacted the rescue efforts, making a bad situation worse," said Capt. Tony Hahn, commander, Sector Corpus Christi in the release. "Our crews did a fantastic job collaborating on this rescue."

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