MIAMI – The United States Coast Guard suspended its search on Friday for a delayed boat bound for the Bahamas to Florida with 20 people on board after authorities said they had exhausted their efforts to find him.
The boat, a blue-and-white 29-foot Mako Cuddy cabin, left Bimini in the Bahamas on Monday, the Coast Guard said.
The boat did not arrive as expected in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, which is about 10 miles south of Palm Beach.
The Coast Guard said he and other agencies, including authorities in the Bahamas, had searched about 17,000 square miles for more than three days.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the missing people,” said Capt. Stephen V. Burdian, Seventh District chief of response. “I encourage anyone with information about the people on board to contact us as soon as possible.”
Authorities in the Bahamas reported the boat’s disappearance after a relative of someone on board did not receive a call informing them that the boat had arrived in South Florida, said third-class petty officer Jose Hernandez on Saturday.
“Whenever we need to cancel a suspension, it is not an easy decision,” he said.
Many details about the trip, including why the boat was going to Florida and the names and nationalities of the people on board, were not immediately known, said Petty Officer Hernandez.
The search could be resumed if authorities obtain new reliable information about the boat, he said.
“This whole time was a case of search and rescue,” he said. “At the moment, suspension just means that we’re focusing on other cases until we get more information, so we’ll be looking for that particular ship and people.