Cargo Ship Carrying 28 Americans Still Missing
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El Faro, a cargo ship carrying 28 Americans, went missing during Hurricane Joaquin; it was last heard from at approximately 7:20 a.m. on Thursday. At that time, the El Faro had sent a distress call that it was taking on water after losing power. It is believed that ship lost propulsion and was listing at 15 degrees.
The El Faro was a 735-foot vessel traveling from Jacksonville, FL to San Juan in Puerto Rico. It left Florida on Tuesday when Joaquin was still classified as a tropical storm. It wasn’t until Thursday that the storm was declared Category 4 with sustained winds of up to 130 mph. Currently, Joaquin is classified as a Category 3; it is 120 miles northeast of San Salvador and 700 miles southwest of Bermuda.
President and CEO of the company owning the ship said yesterday that he has met with the families of the crew members. "Our number one priority…is the safe return of the 33 people on the vessel.” He went on to say that the company is working with the coast guard and doing everything they can to find the ship.
On Friday, 850 nautical miles were searched to no avail. That same search has continued this morning.