Coast Guard set to suspend Florida boat search with dozens still missing

The Coast Guard announced on Thursday that it will suspend its search off the coast of Florida for a capsized boat while dozens are still missing. 

Coast Guard Commanding Officer Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian said that if there is no new information to lead to the survivors of the boat that sank on Sunday, the active search will be suspended at sunset. 

Thirty-four individuals are still missing, while four bodies have been found and one survivor was rescued on Tuesday. 

The one survivor was taken to the hospital for dehydration and sun exposure, telling authorities that no one on the boat had a life jacket. 

The migrants left Bahamas’s Bimini islands on Saturday. The nationalities of the individuals onboard are unknown. 

“We do suspect that this is a case of human smuggling, as this event occurred in a normal route for human smuggling,” Burdian said on Wednesday.

Burdian said debris has been found as the Coast Guard has searched an area bigger than the size of Massachusetts, but no more survivors have been spotted.

Although the active search is ending, Burdian said there will still be a presence on the water in coordination with other authorities.