MIAMI – The United States Coast Guard is assisting the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in the search for two people who were reportedly swept to sea in the vicinity of the Eluthera Islands, Bahamas Sunday evening.
Coast Guard Seventh District Command Center watchstanders received notification from RBDF stating a 14-foot vessel with five people aboard overturned eight miles east of Eluthera Island. Three of the five people were able to swim to shore and notified RBDF that the other two were swept out to sea and did not see them wearing life jackets.
Coast Guard watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew forward deployed at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) Sunday, who conducted a search but found no signs of the missing individuals. The Jayhawk crew searched Monday as well with the same results. A third search is planned for Monday evening.
Rough seas were reported to be the cause of the boat turning over.
The Coast Guard strongly urges all boaters to equip their boats with life jackets, a VHF-FM radio and the appropriate navigational charts. Boaters are also strongly encouraged to take a boating safety course and file a float plan before going out on the water.
For more complete information on safe boating, please visit http://uscgboating.org/. To learn how to get a free vessel-safety inspection from the Coast Guard Auxiliary, please visit http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/.
USCG file photo
