Homeland Security has launched a « parallel » criminal investigation alongside the search and rescue mission.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that more bodies were found during a search for the capsized vessel that is suspected of human smuggling. During a press briefing U.S. Coast Guard Miami Sector Captain Jo-Ann Burdian said that during a search of Florida’s Northern straits over the past 24 hours, officials found four more bodies, « [b]ringing the total to five deceased bodies we’ve recovered in our search area, » she said. The comments by Burdian come shortly after the 25-foot capsized boat was discovered by a « good Samaritan » Tuesday. In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast Twitter account wrote that the individual discovered a man « clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet. » « The survivor reported he left Bimini, Bahamas, with 39 other people Saturday night and encountered severe weather, causing the vessel to capsize, » the statement said.
