Six people have been rescued and a dozen are still believed to be missing following the Tuesday capsizing of a 129-foot commercial lift boat in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana.
The vessel that has reportedly been identified as the “Seacor Power” overturned as a result of a “microburst” of harsh winds approximately eight miles south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, according to The New York Times.
The ship was carrying 18 people at the time, and the searches for 12 of them were ongoing Wednesday, The Advocate reported.
#UPDATE #HappeningNow the @USCG & multiple #goodSamaritan rescue 6 people and searching for more from capsized vessel 8 miles south of #GrandIsle, #Louisiana
For more information visit our #newsroom https://t.co/e7YE3JMVaw#Ready, #Relevant, #Responsive pic.twitter.com/ThBhIn5fQT
— USCG Heartland (@USCGHeartland) April 14, 2021
“There was a microburst of weather that came through the area at the time of the incident,” Coast Guard Officer Jonathan Lally said, according to the Associated Press. “I don’t know whether that was the cause, but what we can say is that inclement weather did hit the area at the time.” (RELATED: Egypt Impounds Ever Given Ship Stuck In Suez Canal, Demands $900 Million For Traffic Jam)
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Heartland released a statement Tuesday, confirming that several good samaritan ships were searching for the missing people. A search plane from Texas was also en route, the Coast Guard said, according to The Advocate.
Search ongoing for missing workers who were aboard a lift boat that capsized off of Grand Isle this afternoon. Weather station at Grand Isle shows peak sustained wind of 58 mph, gust to 75 mph. Winds were strong enough to produce a 2+ foot storm surge. #LAwx pic.twitter.com/DpO0Y3RGXL
— Steve Caparotta, Ph.D. (@SteveWAFB) April 14, 2021
Multiple other vessels were overturned and some trailers and businesses sustained damages in the aftermath of the wind gust, Jefferson Parish Councilman Ricky Templet reportedly said.
“We expected some winds and possible rains, but nothing as extensive as what took place on the coastal areas of Jefferson Parish,” Templet added, according to The Advocate.