The boat carried eight passengers — four of whom were recovered alive with another deceased — and capsized on the St. Johns River in Florida on March 21
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A body has been found after a boat carrying eight passengers capsized on the St. Johns River in Florida on Friday, March 21, leaving two others still missing, authorities said.
On Sunday, March 23, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement that the body was found as crews continued to search for passengers in what they called “a heartbreaking situation.”
“Eight people were on board; four were found alive, and one passed away,” the sheriff’s office said.
“As of Sunday evening, one more person has been located deceased, but crews are still actively searching for the other two missing boaters,” officials said.
The sheriff’s office said that their Marine and Dive units were using sonar technology to patrol the waters.
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“Our Air Unit is in the sky aiding in the search,” officials said. “We have been working around the clock since Friday night to bring a resolution.”
The sheriff’s office said they were working with various state and local agencies as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
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PEOPLE previously reported that two children and one adult were missing after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to the vessel overturning around 8 p.m. local time on Friday, per Jacksonville outlet WJXT.
The Coast Guard also received a report about the overturned boat, which was described as 18 feet long.
According to the Coast Guard, four people were on top of the vessel, while the other four were underneath. The boaters were reportedly not wearing lifejackets.
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While the four people on top of the boat were safely recovered from the river, a person was recovered from the water “unresponsive” and later pronounced dead, according to the Coast Guard and the FWC.
A coast guardsman “attempted to contact the people reportedly underneath the vessel but received no responses,” the Coast Guard has said.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office divers also searched underneath the vessel but did not see anyone.
