PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Coast Guard suspends search for 10 missing people 8 miles south of Long Key

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 02/16/2021 07:08 PM EST

united states coast guard 

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 suspends search for 10 missing people 8 miles south of Long Key

A makeshift raft is sunken approximately 8 miles south of Long Key, Florida, Feb. 10, 2021.  A makeshift raft is located in Havana, Cuba, Feb. 10, 2021.

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KEY WEST, Fla. —The Coast Guard suspended the search Monday at 6:45 p.m., for 10 people who were reported as missing approximately 8 miles south of Long Key.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a report of an overdue rustic vessel with 10 people aboard that departed Feb. 7 from Cuba. 

Coast Guard crews searched an area of about 12,300 square miles, roughly double the size of Hawaii, for a total of about 86 hours.

“Regardless of nationality, the Coast Guard makes every effort to rescue those in peril at sea," said Capt. Adam Chamie, Commander of Sector Key West. "Unfortunately, migrants who attempt to illegally enter the United States by boat, often travel aboard unseaworthy, make-shift vessels. Most times, these vessels are dangerously overloaded, actively taking on water, and are ill-equipped to safely transport any number of people. We made every effort to try and locate these 10 people, and our thoughts are heavy knowing we were unable to locate them and get them home to their loved ones."

Coast Guard assets involved in the search were:

  • Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew
  • Coast Guard Cutter William Trump (WPC-1111) rescue crew
  • Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton (WPC-1108) rescue crew
  • Coast Guard Cutter Charles David Jr. (WPC-1107) rescue crew
  • Coast Guard Station Marathon 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew and 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement team
  • Coast Guard Auxiliary aircrew
  • Coast Guard Station Islamorada 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew

U.S. Customs and Border Protection were also involved in the search.

If you have any further information on this case, please reach out to the Sector Key West Command Center at 305-292-8727.

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-USCG-