SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard rescue crews are searching today for three men originally reported missing yesterday, while on fishing trip in waters west of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
Coast Guard rescue crews continue to aggressively search for Luis Omar Guadalupe, a Cabo Rojo resident, and his two friends. The men were reported being overdue yesterday after they went on a fishing trip Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard Joint Rescue Sub-Center, San Juan, received an initial report from the father of Guadalupe at 4:30 p.m. yesterday, that his son and two friends had gone fishing from Cabo Rojo to an unknown area in the west coast of Puerto Rico. They were expected to return at approximately 6 a.m. yesterday, but they never arrived.
The missing men were reported fishing aboard a 17-foot vessel, light brown hull, with three colored lines and the word Covia printed on the side, grey interior, and powered by a single outboard 75-horsepower Yamaha engine. The men were carrying marine safety gear which included a global positioning system device, personal flotation devices, flares, flashlights and food and water for a day.
Since Monday, the Coast Guard has launched an HU-25 Falcon Jet from Air Station Miami, Fla., HH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Air Station Borinquen, and diverted Coast Guard Cutter’s Chincoteague and Dauntless to search the area for the missing men.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action F.U.R.A., and the Civil Air Patrol have also been searching the area with surface and air assets. A total of 10 searches have been completed so far by the federal and state agencies involved in the search, covering an area of approximately 3,990 square nautical miles.
Coast Guard Cutter Chincoteague is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless is 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Galveston, Tx.
