Coast Guard suspends search for 3 fishermen off Martha's Vineyard coast

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 11/26/2019 01:37 PM EST

united states coast guard 

News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast
Contact: 1st District Public Affairs
Office: (617) 223-8515
After Hours: (617) 717-9609
1st District online newsroom

Coast Guard suspends search for 3 fishermen off the coast of Martha's Vineyard

 

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday at 4:40 p.m. for three missing fishermen in the waters off Massachusetts.

The three missing are:

•      Gerald Bretal
•      Mark Cormier Jr.
•      Xavier Vega

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard District One command center initially received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert Sunday at 3:18 p.m. from the fishing boat Leonardo, which capsized and sank 24 nautical miles southwest of Martha's Vineyard.

Crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and rescued one person, Ernesto Santos, from a life raft.

The search spanned over 25 hours and includes the following assets:

•      Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba
•      Coast Guard Cutter Cobia
•      Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod

It was reported the missing were not wearing survival suits or life jackets.

After all leads are exhausted, the Coast Guard suspends a search pending new information.

 

-USCG-