Coast Guard searching for 2, good Samaritan rescues 1 from overdue vessel

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast Contact: 7th District Public Affairs Office: 305-415-6683 After Hours: 786-367-7649 7th District online newsroom

Coast Guard searching for 2, good Samaritan rescues 1 from overdue vessel

MIAMI — The Coast Guard is searching for two missing boaters along the southeastern coast of Florida, Monday.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification Sunday at 3:53 p.m., from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reporting a potential overdue 23-foot Blue Proline vessel with three people aboard.  The vessel and people departed from Caribbean Club in Key Largo, Thursday. The watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast in both English and Spanish.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., Sunday, Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a notification from a good Samaritan vessel and crew stating they recovered a person in the water in the vicinity of Biscayne Bay. The good Samaritan’s transferred the person to a Miami Fire Boat, who confirmed the man was one of the missing three boaters. The Miami Fire Boat crew took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital for further medical care.

The survivor stated he and the other two people encountered a storm, which capsized their vessel Friday. The survivor began to swim for help while the other two boaters remained with the capsized vessel with life jackets on.

Coast Guard 7th District Command Center watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew, a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Cochito to search for the missing boaters.

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-USCG-