U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for passengers of capsized boat, suspects it was a failed smuggling attempt
The search for five people after a boat capsized off Florida's Treasure Coast over the weekend has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday.
According to a X post from the USCG, crews had rescued four people from the capsized vessel after a good Samaritan reported the incident about 29 miles off the coast of St. Lucie Inlet.
At least one person is dead and others were injured after a boat capsized off of Florida's Treasure Coast over the weekend, authorities said.
The USCG continued, saying that a person on board the boat said it capsized sometime Friday and an additional five passengers were unaccounted for. The USCG said the five missing passengers were from a suspected failed smuggling venture.
In a separate X post, Martin County Fire Rescue said the rescue happened just before 10 a.m. and five occupants were found, but one of them was dead. The four survivors were taken to Cleveland South Hospital – three of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the fourth suffered serious injuries.
The inlet, located south of St. Lucie Inlet State Park between Hutchinson and Jupiter Islands in Martin County, is one of six in the region filled with hard and soft coral reefs.
