The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the seek for 16 migrants who're nonetheless lacking after their boat capsized off the Florida coast throughout Hurricane Ian. Two our bodies had beforehand been recovered.
"Crews suspended the seek for the 16 lacking folks pending new data," the Coast Guard tweeted Sunday.
A ship carrying 27 Cuban migrants capsized and sank Wednesday simply hours earlier than Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida.
4 of the migrants had been in a position to swim to Inventory Island, simply east of Key West, the U.S. Border Patrol mentioned. The Coast Guard mentioned Thursday that a complete of 9 folks had been safely positioned and rescued. On Friday, the Coast mentioned that two our bodies — one close to Ocean Edge Marina and one in Boca Chica Channel — had been recovered.
"Taking to the ocean any time carries vital threat," Coast Guard Captain Robert Kinsey mentioned in a press release Friday. "Taking to the ocean throughout a hurricane is flat out reckless."
The storm earlier within the week killed two folks in Cuba and introduced down the nation's electrical grid.
Ian then made landfall close to Cayo Costa, Florida, on Wednesday as a significant Class 4 storm — the second-strongest attainable class on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Stephen Smith contributed reporting.