Coast Guard suspends search for 4 fishermen missing off Florida’s Gulf Coast
Authorities are searching for four lost fishermen who were in a 1995 23-foot white SportCraft.
(CNN) — The search for four fishermen missing off Florida’s Gulf Coast has been suspended, the Coast Guard said.
The search was called off at 8 p.m. Monday, “pending any new information,” the agency said in a statement. Boaters are asked to “stay vigilant” and report any information that may be to the Venice Police Department.
Angel Hernandez Munoz, 38, Ruben Mora Sr., 54, Julio Cesar Cordero Briones, 37, and Vargas Parra, 35, set out from Venice at approximately 8 a.m. Saturday, police said in a Facebook post Sunday.
The group was expected to return that night, according to a family member, police said.
The seas were not “too rough” when the group of experienced fishermen set out, but a heavy fog descended that could have been “a factor” in their disappearance, police Capt. Andy Leisenring said at a Monday news conference.
The weather worsened later Saturday.
“Going into overnight and into Sunday, the wind’s picked up, the seas picked up and of course it’s been raining most of that time,” Leisenring said.
The missing boat is a white, 23-foot SportCraft, Leisenring said.
The fishermen did not leave a float plan – which indicates the intended destination and timeframe of the trip – with their families, so it’s unclear how far out the group went, the police captain said. The search began after a vehicle and boat trailer were found Sunday parked at the Marina Park Boat Ramp, from where the group set off.
The Coast Guard search covered areas beyond 9 miles offshore and employed multiple vessels and aircraft – while local law enforcement vessels searched from the shore to 9 miles out, police said.
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