The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(NEW ORLEANS) — The Coast Guard suspended its search for a person in the water near Donaldsonville, La., on Friday.
The Coast Guard searched approximately 46 square miles for 18 hours for a man who fell off a vessel into the Mississippi River on Thursday.
Involved in the search were:
• A response boat crew from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge
• A response boat crew from Coast Guard Station New Orleans
• An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
• An Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office boat crew
“The decision to suspend a search is one of the most difficult things we do in the Coast Guard,” said Cmdr. Michael Wolfe, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “We consider many factors when making this decision and it’s never easy. Coast Guard crews diligently searched for over 17 hours but, regrettably, the missing man was unable to be located. Our hearts go out to the friends and family of the missing crewmember.”
PREVIOUS REPORT
(NEW ORLEANS) — The Coast Guard is searching for a person in the water at mile marker 183 of the Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, La., on Thursday.
Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 9:30 a.m. from the uninspected towing vessel CSS Richmond that a crewmember fell overboard.
The person in the water is described as an African American male wearing an orange life vest.
Involved in the search are:
• Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter air crew
• Coast Guard Station New Orleans 29-foot response boat-small II boat crew
• Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Department
Anyone with information is requested to contact Sector New Orleans at (800) 874-2153.
