April 14, 2021- 9:47 a.m
Six people have been rescued after a large commercial boat capsized off the coast of Louisiana – and rescuers are still searching for a dozen others, officials said Wednesday.
The US Coast Guard said it received an emergency beacon notification at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday of a 129-foot commercial lift vessel that capsized in an area 8 miles south of Port Fourchon in the Gulf of Mexico.
A crew on the 154-foot Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris arrived within 30 minutes and rescued one person from the capsized vessel.
A second Coast Guard crew pulled another person from the water, while other private vessels operated by Good Samaritans saved four people, Coast Guard officials said.
Several Coast Guard vessels, private boats and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane are involved in the ongoing search for the remaining boaters.
It’s unclear exactly how many people were onboard at the time, Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Jonathan Lally told The Post.
“Any search and rescue is very dynamic,” Lally said early Wednesday. “But any time the Coast Guard goes out, it’s our hope that we bring them back and reunite them with their friends and family.”
Lally said it was unclear what caused the boat to capsize but noted a “microburst” of inclement weather in the area prior to the incident.
The area experienced a weather phenomenon called a “wake low” that would’ve created rough seas, NBC News reported, citing a National Weather Service meteorologist in New Orleans.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported wind gusts of 75 mph in nearby Grand Isle during Tuesday’s storm, according to the report.
The Seacor Power, which can carry up to 40,000-plus gallons of fuel oil, ran into trouble as a strong storm thrashed much of metro New Orleans, overturning vessels and damaging property in coastal towns, NOLA.com reported.
Messages left for the capsized vessel’s owner were not returned late Tuesday, NOLA.com reported.
