The Coast Guard announced Friday that it had suspended the search for a boat that did not arrive as expected in Florida days earlier. The Coast Guard said there were approximately 20 people on board.
The Coast Guard said it received a report on Tuesday that a 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin, which had left Bimini, Bahamas, on Monday did not arrive as expected in Lake Worth, Florida. The agency said it searched approximately 17,000 square miles for 84 hours to no avail.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the missing people,” said Captain Stephen V. Burdian, Seventh District Head of Response. “I encourage anyone with information about the people on board to contact us as soon as possible.”
CBS affiliate WPEC reported that the Coast Guard encountered several difficulties during the search, including turbulent waters and not knowing the identity of anyone on board or exactly where the boat was supposed to go.
“The most difficult thing is that the longer it takes us to find someone, the longer they can drift,” Jose Hernandez, a first-class US Coast Guard public relations officer, told WPEC on Wednesday.
Speaking days before the search was canceled, Hernandez said the Coast Guard only suspended the search “after we have exhausted all assets and information we have”.
“We want to find them and find them is our highest priority, but we cannot stay there for long,” he said at the time.