MIAMI — Search-and-rescue crews suspended their search efforts for a woman and man who made a distress call, believed to be approximately 17 miles of the coast of Venice beach, Fla..
On Thursday night, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla.,command center received an uncorrelated mayday. The female and male callers requested help over the radio before losing communications with the Coast Guard watchstanders.
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) and launched several assets to respond to the report.
A Coast Guard MH-60 helicopter and C-130 aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., searched alongside boatcrews from Coast Guard Station Cortez and the crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutters Crocodile and Nantucket.
Weather conditions Thursday night were 30 knot winds 6-foot seas.
A total of 1,956 square nautical miles were searched over a 23 hour time frame.
Anyone with any information on the possible source of the mayday call is asked to contact Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command center at 727-824-7506.