A boater lending aid to a man he found clinging to an overturned vessel 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet spurred a widespread search by the United States Coast Guard for 39 missing souls on Thursday.
#BREAKING @USCG rescue crews are currently searching for 39 people after their boat reportedly capsized on Saturday night approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet. #SAR
More updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/iGCJ7KRjXY — USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) January 25, 2022
The survivor related to Coast Guard rescuers that he had left Bimini in the Bahamas with 39 others on Saturday night and rough weather on the journey caused the boat to capsize. He reported that no one aboard the boat was wearing a life vest. An air and sea search is underway in the waters off Fort Pierce. Coast Guard officials believe the boat and its passengers were related to a “human smuggling venture.”
Approximate search area