39 missing after suspected smuggling boat capsized

On Saturday night, 40 people boarded a boat from Bimini, Bahamas, and set out toward Florida.

They encountered severe weather later that night, causing the boat to capsize. U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews are now searching for 39 people in the ocean as they near 72 hours in the water.

A man sitting atop the capsized boat about 45 miles east of the Fort Pierce Inlet was rescued by a good Samaritan, who reported it to the Coast Guard Miami Sector about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast said in a tweet Tuesday afternoon that several cutters and aircraft are searching the water from Bimini to the Fort Pierce Inlet in St. Lucie County.

Petty Officer Jose Hernandez said officials do not yet know the nationality of the survivor or the others or where they were headed. It is unclear whether the survivor has been taken into custody.

The survivor told authorities that he held onto the capsized vessel until he was rescued Tuesday, Hernandez said.

The survivor said he and 39 others left Bimini on Saturday night, and no one had a life jacket, the U.S. Coast Guard District 7 said in a statement posted to Twitter. Officials said they believe it was an attempt at human smuggling.

Just days ago, Coast Guard crews intercepted a boat known as a sail freighter with 88 Haitians aboard that left from the Bahamas. Sail freighters are what is commonly seen in trips that leave from the Bahamas, Hernandez said.

Ventures that leave from the Bahamas often include people of many nationalities. The Coast Guard has intercepted 559 Haitians since the start of the fiscal year Oct. 1, 2021. In the last fiscal year, authorities intercepted over 1,500 Haitians, according to a news release issued last week. A total of 127 Cubans have been interdicted since the start of this fiscal year, compared to 838 in the previous year.