Update: Coast Guard calls off search for missing boat with about 20 aboard. A search that covered more than 17,000 square miles, over 80 hours, between the Bahamas and Florida has ended with no sign of a missing boat with an estimated 20 people aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday.
The identity of the 20 on board has not been revealed nor the purpose of their voyage.
There was also no information about the name of the boat and no signal received from an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon either, said Petty Officer Jose Hernandez.
“When it touches the water or if it’s activated in an emergency it would send us the location of that [vessel],” he said. “It makes it a lot easier for us to deploy to that location.”
Original story:
U.S. Coast Guard officials are searching the rough seas off the east coast of South Florida for an overdue boat with 20 unidentified people on board.
Since Wednesday morning, the Coast Guard has searched a 20,000-square-mile area for the missing watercraft.
U.S. COAST GUARD
The search includes a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater C-130 Hercules, Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry, Royal Bahamas Defence Force boats and Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association aircraft.
If you have any information please contact Coast Guard #District7 Command Center at 305-415-6800