(CNN) — US Coast Guard rescue teams are searching for 39 people whose boat appeared to capsize Saturday night near Fort Pierce, Florida, the agency said Tuesday.
At approximately 8 a.m. Tuesday, Coast Guard Sector Miami received a report from a good Samaritan who said he rescued a man clinging to a capsized boat approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet, according to tuitearon The authorities.
The agency said it suspects a case of human trafficking.
The boat was found 45 miles east of Ft. Pierce.
The rescued man told authorities that he had left Bimini, Bahamas, with 39 other people on Saturday night. He added that they faced severe weather, which caused the boat to capsize.
According to the survivor, no one on board the boat was wearing a life jacket.
Right now, the Coast Guard is the only agency involved in the rescue efforts, the US Coast Guard Southeast told CNN. The search area stretches from 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet to Bimini. .