The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE search for four Honduran mariners who went missing after a boating incident has been suspended.

Police reported the incident occurred on Thursday around 2am. The vessel had eight passengers and was travelling from Ocean Cay to Eleuthera when it began taking on water nine miles north of Morgans Bluff, Andros, sinking the vessel. 

Local fishermen rescued four adult males, including four Hondurans and one Haitian.

However, the remaining four people, including the captain, have not been located.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the US Coast Guard assisted with search and rescue efforts. 

Lieutenant Commander Byron McClain, the RBDF’s search and rescue coordinator, said the search was suspended on Friday.

“Based on the area in which it went down over 1000ft of water, search and rescue went on for approximately two days, USCG flew fixed wing and helo search were conducted; finally the survivors reported that the four missing men went down with the ship.” 

“Based on that and the time that has passed, we switched to search and recovery. Debris came up, but no bodies. Based on these terms, it was deemed necessary that search efforts be suspended.”

Last month, three men were killed at sea. Dishon Russell, 25, was killed in a jet ski accident, and a boater later recovered his body a half mile off Coral Beach.