Racing against time in the search for 12 people missing since their ship capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, Coast Guard divers hoped a break in stormy weather.
Weather delays divers from searching for shipwreck survivors
Associated Press
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Lafourche Parish deputies patrol along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, not far from where a lift boat capsized during a storm on Tuesday, killing one with 12 others still missing, on Elmer s Island, La., Thursday, April 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
PORT FOURCHON, La. – Families anxiously awaited news of the 12 people missing from a capsized oil industry vessel Thursday while stormy weather delayed divers from reaching the ship to search for survivors.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Lally said rescuers don’t know whether any of the missing might be caught inside the lift boat that flipped over Tuesday in hurricane-force winds and high seas off the Louisiana coast.
Authorities also plan to use all-terrain vehicles Thursday to search the shoreline near Port Fourchon, a major base for the U.S. oil and gas industry.
Despite a widening search involving Coast Guard boats and aircraft, no other crew members have been spotted. Interrupted by darkness and bad weather, the effort spread to more than 1,440 square miles by Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release.
“We had both air and surface assets out last night nothing materially has changed, Michelli said around dawn Thursday.
The boat, capable of working in up to 195 feet of water, can carry a crew of 12, two “special personnel” and 36 passengers, according to the company website.
Weather delays divers from searching for Louisiana shipwreck survivors triblive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from triblive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
1 victim ID d, 12 missing: Rescuers search area the size of Hawaii for survivors of capsized boat off Louisiana coast John Bacon and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
One person dead and 12 people missing after a 129-foot commercial boat capsized off Louisiana
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Families and friends clung to hope Thursday afternoon as divers attempted to hunt for 12 people missing from a commercial boat that capsized in roaring winds and heavy seas off Louisiana two days ago, killing one person.
However, more stormy weather delayed divers from reaching the ship to search for survivors.
Six people were rescued Tuesday; one body was recovered Wednesday. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the body pulled from the water Wednesday was identified as that of David Ledet. He was the captain of the Seacor Power liftboat, KLFY.com reported Thursday.