US: 39 people missing after boat capsizes off Florida coast, search on
India Today
Rescue teams of the US Coast Guard are searching for 39 people who reportedly went missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida in a "suspected human smuggling venture", it said in a statement.
The US Coast Guard launched a search for 39 people reported missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida in a "suspected human smuggling venture," it said Tuesday.
The Coast Guard in Miami said it had received a report "from a good Samaritan" who rescued a man "clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet."
The survivor said the boat had left Bimini in the Bahamas on Saturday night but encountered rough weather and capsized.
#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. #SARMore updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/iGCJ7KRjXY
"According to the survivor, no one was wearing a life jacket," the statement said.
"Coast Guard air and surface asset crews are actively searching for people in the water. This is a suspected human smuggling venture," said the statement, which was posted on Twitter.
An image released by the Coast Guard shows the capsized vessel in the water with a man straddling the hull.
