Rescue Operation Launched After Vessel Carrying 19 People Capsizes Off Louisiana

3 年前

The body of one person was recovered, six people were rescued, and 12 people remained missing after a boat capsized on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana, officials said on Wednesday, April 14.

The Coast Guard said it received an emergency distress signal at around 4:30 pm after the 129-foot commercial lift boat capsized eight miles south of Port Fourchon during a storm.

The Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris arrived on scene within 30 minutes and rescued one person from the water, the Coast Guard said. “Multiple Good Samaritan vessels rescued four people and a Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew rescued another.”

Capt Will Watson, a commander in the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, told reporters on Wednesday that one deceased person was found on the surface of the water.

Watson said the rescue crews faced 80 to 90 mph winds on Tuesday, but said he could not say to what extent the severe weather was a factor in the ship capsizing. Credit: Kevin Gilton via Storyful