A dozen people missing after boat capsizes off southern US coast

Six of the 18 people on the lift boat had been rescued off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico.

A dozen people have gone missing at sea off the US state of Louisiana after a commercial ship capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, sparking a rescue operation that saved six others. The United States Coast Guard and a fleet of volunteers were deployed to search for the 18 crew on board after the vessel capsized in a storm near Port Fourchon, about 160km (100 miles) south of New Orleans, on Wednesday. [IS IT Wednesday OR Tuesday? The caption says Tuesday night] The ship was a 39.3 meters (129 feet) lift vessel, commonly used to support drilling and construction, the coastguard said.