Search suspended for 5 missing from capsized boat involved in ‘failed suspected smuggling venture’

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The search has been suspended for five people missing after a boat capsized during a “failed suspected smuggling venture” off of Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday.

On Sunday, Coast Guard crews rescued four people from the ocean some 29 miles (25 nautical miles) off of St. Lucie Inlet, which is 46 miles (74 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. They also recovered the body of one person.

After the rescue, a survivor reported the vessel departed Bimini with nine people on Friday, and it capsized early Saturday morning, the Coast Guard said.

Another boater contacted the Coast Guard on Sunday about the capsized boat. Crews searched for about seven hours, and covered more than 1,240 square miles (3,212 square kilometers).

“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and never taken lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Edgardo Insignares, a Coast Guard Sector Miami search and rescue mission coordinator. “Smugglers routinely exploit vulnerable aliens for profit while putting their lives at risk aboard overloaded and unseaworthy vessels. These dangerous and illegal voyages must not be attempted. Safe, legal and orderly migration saves lives. Don’t take to the sea.”

Martin County Fire Rescue officials told news outlets on Sunday that three of the four rescued from the water had injuries that were not life-threatening.