Three are dead and the child remains missing after the boat flips over in the darkness of the St. John’s River in North Florida, officials say.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release that eight people were on board when the asylum occurred around 8pm on Friday.
The identity of the dead has not been released.
The search for the bodies began after someone reported “an 18-foot container with four people overturned above and four more people underneath,” according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
“The four on the ship were rescued by Marines at Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and one person was recovered from the water that was unresponsive,” the Coast Guard said. “It is reportedly not seen anyone on the boat wearing a life jacket.”
Coast Guard divers searched under the ship but found none, officials said.
Investigators have not released details about where searchers found the other two bodies.
The Coast Guard sails “more than 270 square miles” before activities are stopped, and the sea search is covered.
The search for the missing child is currently being led by the Wildlife Commission, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
No details have been released about what led to the boat being overturned.
