Florida boat captain credited with saving a man lost at sea off the coast of Fort Pierce

Florida boat captain credited with saving a man lost at sea off the coast of Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce, Fl (treasurecoast.com) -A Florida boat captain is being credited with saving a man lost at sea off the coast of Fort Pierce.

The U.S. Coast Guard said at least one person is dead and dozens more are missing after a boat believed to be involved in a human smuggling operation capsized Tuesday.

The crew of a tugboat, the Signet Intruder, noticed something odd in the water.

“We spotted an object that looked odd. We turned towards it to get a closer look. Once we got closer, we realized it was a boat that was capsized,” Captain Ryan Elwin said.

The boat’s crew took pictures. The image below shows a 25-foot boat capsized with a man sitting on it.

The Coast Guard said the man who was rescued is lucky.

“We often rely on sometimes heroic acts of good Samaritans operating in a marine environment and this case is no exception,” said Commander Jo-Ann Burdian with the U.S. Coast Guard. “We’re deeply grateful that that mariner located the survivor in this case and saved his life.”

Burdian said the boat the man was sitting on was involved in a human smuggling operation.

“This event occurred in a normal route for human smuggling from the Bahamas into the southeast U.S.,” she said.

The search continues for the dozens who remain missing.