st. Lucy, Fla. (WFLA) – A search for five missing people from St. Lucy Inlet, a false suspect in a smuggling venture, has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard has announced.
The USCG rescued four people on Sunday and recovered one person who died in the boat that carried nine people on Friday.
The crew was searched in air and ocean for about seven hours, covering more than 1,240 square miles.
One person on the boat told USCG that the boat departed from Bimini on Friday with nine people and capsized early Saturday morning.
“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and not underestimated,” said Supreme Commander Edgard Insignes, mission coordinator for the Coast Guard’s Miami Search and Rescue squad. “Smugglers use vulnerable aliens on a daily basis for profit, while risking their lives on overloads and in a sturdy boat. These dangerous and illegal voyages should not be attempted. Safe, legal and orderly migration will save lives. Don’t take away the ocean.”
USCG said a good Samaritan capsized the boat and four reported clinging to the sides on Sunday.
Homeland Security Survey FT. Pierce is currently investigating a failed smuggling venture, Hsi Miami said in a post on X, previously known as Twitter.
