MIAMI — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for 20 missing boaters who did not arrive in Florida from the Bahamas.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the missing people,” Capt. Stephen V. Burdian, Seventh District Chief of Response, said in a statement. “I encourage anyone with information about the people aboard to contact us as soon as possible.”
The boat’s name and information about who was on board have not been released, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
A blue and white 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin vessel was reported missing Tuesday when it did not arrive in Lake Worth, Florida, after departing Bimini on Monday, Coast Guard officials said.
For 84 hours, rescuers searched the Gulf Stream between the Bahamas and South Florida for the boaters. The search covered roughly 17,000 square miles.
“They take into account the size of the vessel, the amount of gasoline, the motor it has,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Jose Hernandez told WPTV. “Then you have other people that plot the actual currents, the actual weather involved.”