Airboat passengers stuck in Everglades for hours

WEST BROWARD, Fla. (WSVN) -- Several boaters are finally back on dry land after becoming stuck in the Everglades.

An airboat with eight passengers were stranded several miles off Interstate 75 in West Broward. When Thursday's storm moved in, the group, who was doing some work for the U.S. Army, began to move out, but then, they experienced some sort of mechanical failure. "There was lightning that struck about 200 meters south of the boat and caught the grass on fire," said Lisa Pittman. "That was a concern."

The group was stuck for more than seven hours. "We're exhausted," said Lauren Souther. "Just exhausted, cold and wet. We want to go home."

With weak cellphone signal in the area, they were able to give their coordinates to rescue crews to pinpoint their location only after a few of the men in the group jumped into the murky water and walked out until they found cell phone coverage. They were then able to call 911 for help. "Then the people who were trying to find us got lost," said Pittman.

"Some of the occupants were complaining of hypothermia," said an official. "They were caught in a pretty significant storm."

No one was injured.

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