On February 10, USCG received a report that a 14-foot skiff carrying four crewmembers from the ITV Melvin L. King struck a towing vessel and all four people entered the water at mile marker 41, in the Port Allen Route near Belle River, Louisiana. Two have been rescued, but one is still missing, while one body has been recovered.
Watchstanders at US Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report, that a 14-foot skiff carrying four crewmembers from the ITV Melvin L. King struck a towing vessel and all four people entered the water at mile marker 41.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
A search and rescue operation was launched, which rescued two people on the bank of Port Allen Route. However, one person lost its life, and another crew is still missing.
The US Coast Guard and local agencies continued the search for the missing person on February 11, but the operation was eventually suspended.
The Port Allen Route is closed from mile marker 41 to mile Marker 55.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
