COURTESY OF THE US COAST GUARD
MARTHA’S VINEYARD – From the U.S. Coast Guard: Rescue crews from Air Station Cape Cod have recovered one fisherman and are actively searching for 3 more after receiving a distress signal from a boat that capsized and sank, 24NM SW of Martha’s Vineyard.
Update 11 PM: Rescue crews from Air Station Cape Cod, Coast Guard Cutters Cobia, and Escanaba will continue to search overnight for the 3 missing men from F/V Leonardo out of New Bedford.
Update 6 PM Monday: The Coast Guard reports that crews have suspended the search off Martha’s Vineyard pending further developments.
Statement from U.S. Coast Guard: The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday at 4:40 p.m. for three missing fishermen in the waters off Massachusetts.
The three missing are:
• Gerald Bretal
• Mark Cormier Jr.
• Xavier Vega
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard District One command center initially received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert Sunday at 3:18 p.m. from the fishing boat Leonardo, which capsized and sank 24 nautical miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard.
Crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and rescued one person, Ernesto Santos, from a life raft.
The search spanned over 25 hours and includes the following assets:
• Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba
• Coast Guard Cutter Cobia
• Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
It was reported the missing were not wearing survival suits or life jackets.
After all leads are exhausted, the Coast Guard suspends a search pending new information.
