JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Coast Guard announced on Saturday evening that it has suspended its search for the three boaters who went missing after a boat capsized in the St. Johns River on Friday night.
RELATED: Carnival Elation docking delayed in Jacksonville due to search-and-rescue on St. Johns River
Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville said it received a report around 7 p.m. Friday, of an overturned 18-foot vessel with four people on top of the vessel and an additional four people possibly underneath the vessel.
The four people on top of the vessel were rescued by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office marine unit and one person was dead by the time officials found them, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
No one aboard the vessel was reportedly wearing lifejackets.
The investigation into what caused the boat to flip continues.
Involved in the search are:
- Coast Guard Station Mayport
- Coast Guard Air Station Savannah
- Coast Guard Cutter Coho
- Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
- Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The FWC released a statement on the search around 9 p.m., and stated the following:
On Friday, March 21, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers responded to a report of an overturned vessel with eight people on board in the St. Johns River. Tragically, one individual has been found deceased, and three others—two children and one adult—remain missing.
Search efforts continued through the night and early the next morning, resuming at first light. FWC, along with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Clay County Sheriff’s Office, has vessels and dive teams actively searching the area. We urge the public to avoid the search zone to allow divers and officers to work safely.
This remains an active investigation, and no further details are available at this time.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The Lions Club Boat Launch and the Reddie Point Reserve will be closed during the investigation.
Anyone with information that could assist in the search is urged to contact Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville at 904-714-7558.
