UPDATE: One boater rescued. See update here.
Crews are searching for two missing men off Harbor Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina after a boat was found overturned early Tuesday evening, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The search continued on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A good samaritan found the fishing vessel abandoned and overturned around 4 p.m. near the south end of the St. Helena Sound Tuesday and alerted authorities, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials.
A family member of one of the boaters told the U.S. Coast Guard that the two men hadn’t returned on time.
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and Aviation units, the Beaufort Marine Rescue and the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Island Fire Department searched for the two boaters Tuesday evening.
A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer searched around the 27-foot capsized boat, but found no signs of the missing men.
As of Wednesday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard has not provided any updates on the situation.
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed the following assets in the search:
- MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Station Savannah
- 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Tybee Island
- 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station Charleston
- MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Air Facility Savannah
- 87-foot cutter Pompano from Tybee Island
- Coast Guard Cutter Nathan Bruckenthal from Sector North Carolina
Authorities have released very little information about the two adult males who are missing.
Residents around Harbor Island should expect to see search crews in the Harbor Island area, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Harbor Island is in northern Beaufort County, west of Hunting Island and east of St. Helena Island and Beaufort.
This story will be updated…
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