The United States Coast Guard is engaged in a massive search operation to locate 39 missing individuals who were on a boat that capsized off the coast of Florida, believed to be piloted by human smugglers. According to reports, the vessel was carrying migrants from the Bahamas and went down in severe weather conditions with no life jackets on board. A good Samaritan raised the alarm after rescuing a man clinging to the wreckage, 45 miles east of Fort Pierce, who described the terrifying scene where the boat capsized and no life jackets were available. The survivor, who was part of a group that left the Bahamas on Saturday night, recounted the chaotic scene, highlighting the lack of safety measures taken by the smugglers.
As the Coast Guard scrambles to locate the missing migrants, it is treating this incident as a case of human smuggling and has launched a comprehensive search operation by air and sea. The agency is scouring a vast area of approximately 135 miles, stretching from Bimini to the Fort Pierce Inlet, an area known to be a common migration route for individuals attempting to reach the US. This region has been identified as a hotspot for human smuggling operations, with the Coast Guard regularly intercepting and repatriating foreigners found in US waters.
Coast Guard’s Extensive Search Efforts Underway to Locate Missing Migrants off Florida’s Coast
In a separate incident last Friday, the Coast Guard discovered 88 Haitians on an overloaded sail freighter west of Great Inagua, Bahamas. This incident underscores the dangers of attempting to migrate to the US through the Florida straits, Windward and Mona Passages, which the Coast Guard has cautioned is extremely risky and can result in loss of life. The agency’s search operation for the missing migrants remains ongoing, with the Coast Guard urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
