MIAMI – The United States Coast Guard announced the suspension of the search in the waters of the Florida Keys (southern USA) for a Puerto Rican couple and their dog who were sailing on a boat in that area a day before Hurricane Ian made landfall in the southwestern part of the state.
Omar Millet Torres’ boat, from 44 years old, and Betsy Morales, of 47, a yacht with a cabin of 32 feet (9.7 meters) in length was last seen Tuesday night in an area near the Key West port of refuge, the island city where they resided.
Although no longer actively looking for them, the Coast Guard continues to ask anyone who has seen them or has information about the ship or them to call a special phone or radio.
On Wednesday of last week, a boat with about 25 Cubans on board, of whom nine survived.
Last weekend five lifeless bodies were found that may belong to victims of that shipwreck and there are still more than one dozen missing.
After devastating western Cuba, Ian made landfall on Cayo Costa, southwestern Florida, with winds of 100 kilometers per hour. There are still no definitive figures for deaths in Florida due to Ian, because rescue efforts have not been completed.
Officially the number of fatalities is today 68, but other sources that count them estimate that they exceed 100.
Until this Sunday, the Coast Guard rescued 644 people alive in the disaster area, of them 261 by air and 383 using boats for flooded areas, in addition to almost 100 pets.
It may interest you:
Man swam half a mile through floodwaters from Hurricane Ian to rescue his mother