2LT International News

Smuggling boat capsizes off Florida, dozens feared drowned

Jan 28, 2022

FORT PIERCE, Florida: The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the waters off eastern Florida, with hopes of saving 39 missing people after their boat capsized.

The Coast Guard, which said the vessel may have been part of a “human smuggling venture,” was contacted by a boat owner who rescued a man clinging to the vessel some 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet.

The survivor said he left Bimini, Bahamas, after which the boat encountered turbulent weather, adding that no one was wearing life jackets.

As of 4 p.m. on January 26, no other survivors had been found, despite Coast Guard boats and aircraft searching throughout the day.