At least one person is dead, and five people are missing after a boat was found capsized off Florida’s Treasure Coast.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the group was on board a vessel that overturned around 10 a.m. on Sunday, 22 miles off of St. Lucie, north of West Palm Beach.
In addition to the deceased person and the five who are still missing, four others who were on board have been rescued by the Coast Guard.
One of those who was rescued told investigators that five of those on board drowned, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit which is assisting USCG in the search.
According to the sheriff's office, residents of the Dominican Republic and Haiti are believed to be among those on board the vessel.
The rescue mission was launched after a “good Samaritan reported the incident,” officials have said.
The four who were taken from the water were transported to the Cleveland South Hospital for further evaluation after they were flown to Stuart Airport by helicopter.
Three were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and one patient was in serious condition, officials said.
Later Sunday, investigators from the Martin County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit said that the vessel left the Bahamas nine days ago before it encountered difficulty.
Photographs shared on Facebook by the sheriff’s office appear to show one person being airlifted into a Coast Guard helicopter.
The incident comes just weeks after an 18-foot-long vessel capsized near Goat Island on St. Johns River in Jacksonville on March 21.
Four people were on top of the boat, and four more were possibly underneath it, according to the U.S. Coast Guard's initial report. Three of the missing, who were family members, were pronounced dead. A child remained missing.
The Independent has contacted the Coast Guard and Martin County Sheriff's Office for more information.
