A U.S.-based cargo ship that went missing in the Caribbean Sea after encountering intense wind and stormy seas from Hurricane Joaquin likely sank, the Coast Guard said Monday.
Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said search and rescue crews will continue searching for the 28 Americans and five Polish nationals who were aboard the El Faro cargo ship.
{mosads}He said airborne crew spotted one body amid several survival suits floating in debris, and another crew confirmed the person was dead before moving on to find other possible survivors.
Coast Guard aircraft and cutters and a Navy plane are searching for survivors from the ship that left Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday for San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it went missing on Thursday.
Crews faced winds of more than 100 miles per hour Saturday when they attempted to search the area, the Coast Guard said. More temperate weather Sunday permitted a better search.
Objects such as life jackets and containers had been found in the 225-square-mile search area off the Bahamas, but authorities could not confirm they were from the ship.