MIAMI – Coast Guard crews continue searching for possible survivors from the cargo ship El Faro Tuesday night, which is believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin.
Crews have searched a total of 172,257 square nautical miles while searching in the vicinity of the ship's last known position 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas.
The Coast Guard located a deceased person in a survival suit in the water Sunday.
A heavily damaged life boat with markings consistent with those on board the El Faro was also located Sunday. Additional items located by Coast Guard aircrews within search areas include a partially submerged life raft, life jackets, life rings, cargo containers and an oil sheen Sunday.
Multiple crews searched for survivors from the El Faro. Assets involved in the search included:
- Two Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules fixed wing airplanes
- Two Air Force C-130 airplanes
- One Navy P-8 fixed wing airplane
- One Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter
- Coast Guard Cutter Northland, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia.
- Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton, a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Key West, Florida.
- Three commercial tugboats.
All three Coast Guard cutters will stay on scene and search through the night.
Sea and weather conditions during Tuesday's search include one-foot seas and two-knot winds with 10 miles visibility.
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