Coast Guard Suspends Search for 5 Missing from Capsized Boat – ryan

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for five people after a boat capsized off the Florida coast on Saturday, April 12.

In their update, Coast Guard officials, who were able to rescue four people, said that crews spent about seven hours searching for the missing individuals from the “suspected failed smuggling venture.” Overall, they combed through 1,240 square miles before making the decision to suspend their efforts.

“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and never taken lightly,” Chief Warrant Officer  Edgardo Insignares, a Coast Guard Sector Miami search and rescue mission coordinator, said in a statement.

“Smugglers routinely exploit vulnerable aliens for profit while putting their lives at risk aboard overloaded and unseaworthy vessels,” Insignares added. “These dangerous and illegal voyages must not be attempted. Safe, legal and orderly migration saves lives. Don’t take to the sea.”

According to the Coast Guard, a survivor said the boat left Bimini with nine people on Friday, April 11, and it capsized the next morning on April 12.

Additional information, including the identities of those on board, was not disclosed by the Coast Guard.

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In a previous statement, Martin County Fire Rescue said that the Coast Guard were notified about reports of an overturned vessel just before 10 a.m. local time.

The USCG’s Seventh Coast Guard District said the boat was discovered and four people were rescued about 29 miles off the St. Lucie Inlet, according to an April 13 X post.

The inlet is located between Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island in Martin County.

According to Martin County Fire Rescueout of the people who were taken to a local hospital, three had non-life threatening injuries while one had serious injuries.