The Coast Guard has suspended its search for five missing people from what the agency called “a suspected failed suggling venture,” according to a press release Monday.
On Sunday, an aircrew from the U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a capsized boat about 29 miles off the St. Lucie Inlet with help from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The boat had flipped the day before, and five more people remain unaccounted for.
“Coast Guard crews rescued four people and searched by air and sea for approximately seven hours, covering more than 1,240 square miles,” the release said.
“The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and never taken lightly,” said Chief Warrant Officer Edgardo Insignares, a Coast Guard Sector Miami search and rescue mission coordinator.
Here’s what we know.
What happened with the capsized boat in Florida?
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office assists U.S. Coast Guard crews in rescuing four people from a capsized boat on April 13, 2025. Five people are still unaccounted for; the Coast Guard is leading the investigation looking for them.
The boat left Bimini with nine people, one of the survivors told the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and capsized early Saturday morning.
According to the Coast Guard, it was a smuggling attempt.
“Smugglers routinely exploit vulnerable aliens for profit while putting their lives at risk aboard overloaded and unseaworthy vessels. These dangerous and illegal voyages must not be attempted,” Insignares said.
“Safe, legal and orderly migration saves lives. Don’t take to the sea.”
Who was on the boat that capsized off the coast of Florida?
There were nine people on the boat, all from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, sheriff’s officials said on Facebook.
The four people on the boat were identified as:
Edna Fortulien, 26, of Haiti
Anthony Rosario, 38, of the Dominican Republic
Edwin Paula, 55, of the Dominican Republic
Fortulien, Rosario, and Paula have all been previously deported, according to the sheriff’s office.
The survivors were recovered by the Coast Guard aircrew and transported to Cleveland Clinic South Hospital in Stuart, three with non-life-threatening injuries and one with serious injuries, officials said on the Martin County Fire Rescue Facebook page.
Five of the boaters were still unaccounted for when the search was called off. One of the survivors told sheriff’s deputies that they drowned when the boat overturned.
Where was the boat capsized in Florida?
The capsized boat was found about 29 miles off the St. Lucie Inlet.
When did the Coast Guard rescue the boaters?
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office assists U.S. Coast Guard crews in rescuing four people from a capsized boat on April 13, 2025. Five people are still unaccounted for; the Coast Guard is leading the investigation looking for them.
On Sunday, a good Samaritan reported seeing an overturned 25-foot vessel with four people clinging to it, the Coast Guard said.
An aircrew from Air Station Miami was able to bring the survivors up to the helicopter and fly them to safety as the search for the others continued.
“The length of Coast Guard search efforts are always a case by case basis considering a variety of factors including drift patterns, water temperature, and time since notification,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg wrote in an email Sunday.
Where is St. Lucie Inlet?
The St. Lucie Inlet is just off the coast of Jupiter Beach, southeast of Port St. Lucie in Southeast Florida.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Coast Guard calls off search for 5 missing boaters off Florida coast