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Nearly a week after a 790-foot cargo ship sailed headlong into a Category 3 storm carrying a crew of 33, the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for survivors Wednesday.
Investigators have turned their attention to finding the vessel’s data recorder three miles down at the bottom of the sea.
An intensive search by air and sea over tens of thousands of square miles turned up one unidentified body in a survival suit and a heavily damaged lifeboat but no sign of survivors from the 790-foot El Faro, which was last heard from nearly from a week ago as it was being tossed around in rough seas.
By preparing to end its search at sunset, the Coast Guard all but confirmed family members’ worst fears — that all hands were lost. On board were 28 crew members from the U.S. and five from Poland.
“Any decision to suspend a search is painful,” Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said. “They did all they could.”
Even before the announcement, hopes of finding anyone alive were fading.
“The ship went down. And there’s no questioning the outcome of that. The ship has gone down, took everybody with it. There’s really no speculation to be made,” said Mary Shevory, mother of crew member Mariette Wright.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQDdmEsTEPk
Robert Green, father of LaShawn Rivera, held out hope despite the Coast Guard decision: “Miracles do happen, and it’s God’s way only. I’m prayerful, hopeful and still optimistic.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
