Updated at 12:55 p.m. ET
The Coast Guard says it has located several objects floating in the water near the spot in the Bahamas where a 790-foot cargo ship and its crew of 33 went missing last week after issuing a distress satellite notification amid hurricane-force winds and waves.
MIAMI – Coast Guard search and rescue crews have located multiple objects in the water in the search area for the El… http://t.co/dmRN1WdMyt
— U.S. Coast Guard (@uscoastguard) October 4, 2015
U.S. Coast Guard pilots searching for a third day for the El Faro — a roll-on, roll-off container ship — found life jackets, containers and an oil slick on the water.
#BreakingNews: @USCGSoutheast search for #ElFaro has covered more than 30K sqNM. http://t.co/hBlBWAl0GK pic.twitter.com/9H4PVf4wyM
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) October 4, 2015
A statement issued by the Coast Guard said that "[the] objects have not been confirmed to be from the El Faro at this time." In an earlier statement, however, the Coast Guard said that a life ring was recovered earlier and that it verified to be from the ship.
The statement said that two HC-130 Hercules, the Cutter Northland and an MH-60 Jayhawk were involved in the search.
The El Faro, built in 1975, is variously described as 735 feet and 790 feet in length. It left Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 29. On Oct. 1, authorities received a satellite notification saying the vessel had lost propulsion and was listing in hurricane conditions off Crooked Island, Bahamas. The message said that the ship had been taking on water, but that all flooding had been contained.
The ship has a crew of 33, 28 of them Americans.
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