Coast Guard calls off Florida search for 'human smuggling' boat passengers; more than 30 deaths feared
The lone survivor of the capsized boat said a group of 40 set out from the Bahamas on Saturday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Coast Guard said Thursday that it was calling off a search off Florida's Atlantic coast for dozens of boat passengers who were still missing after the vessel capsized Saturday in what authorities suspect was "a case of human smuggling."
Forty people were believed to have been aboard the boat, authorities previously said. Four bodies were recovered between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the total recovered to five, Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann F. Burdian said, but authorities "don’t think it’s likely that anyone else has survived."
Five ships and eight aircraft had been searching an area about the size of Massachusetts since the lone survivor of the capsized boat was discovered Tuesday morning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The lone survivor of the capsized boat that set out from the Bahamas on Saturday was found hanging on to the vessel on Tuesday morning. (U.S. Coast Guard)
The survivor, who was hanging onto the vessel about 40 miles off Fort Pierce, Florida, said he and 39 others had set out from Bimini, an island in the Bahamas.
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Burdian said that while the Coast Guard will cease actively searching, the case was not over and the investigation would be turned over to the Department of Homeland Security.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian, foreground, speaks along with Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge in Miami Anthony Salisbury, rear, during a news conference, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, at Coast Guard Sector Miami in Miami Beach, Florida. (Associated Press)
Anthony Salisbury, Homeland Security Investigations Miami special agent in charge, urged the public to send tips and help "bring criminals who prey on and victimize the vulnerable migrant community to justice."
"The goal of this investigation is to identify, arrest and prosecute any criminal or criminal organization that organized, facilitated or profited from this doomed venture," Salisbury said at a news conference Thursday.
Coast Guard Cutter Ibis' crew searching for people missing from a capsized boat off the coast of Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
The capsized boat was caught in the Gulf Stream, a treacherous current that runs around the tip of Florida and flows north up the coast.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Weather Service warned Thursday that "dangerous marine conditions" would start developing in the Gulf Stream on Friday night, with waves up to 10 feet and potential gale force winds.
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Earlier this month, the Coast Guard rescued 176 Haitians from a 60-foot wooden sailing vessel as it approached the Florida Keys.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.