The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two Cuban migrants who went missing in the waters off Key Biscayne.
After 25 hours of searching, the Coast Guard announced Tuesday night that it was suspending their efforts for the two men who were reported missing after one migrant was found dead and another was rescued Monday.
A total of 1,491 square nautical miles were searched with boat and air crews from the Coast Guard, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"We want to express our deepest condolences to the friends and families who lost loved ones in this tragic incident," said Marilyn Fajardo, deputy public affairs officer for the Coast Guard.
Good Samaritans Ken Cary and his wife Deborah Cary found one man struggling to survive on three rubber inner tubes about 7 miles southeast of Key Biscayne Monday. He was pulled to safety on his 43rd birthday and taken to Mercy Miami Hospital for treatment, officials said.
The man who was rescued said there were three other people in the water who had possibly drowned after he lost contact with them during their trip through the Florida Straits, the Coast Guard said.
The rafters had been at sea for six days, according to Miami Fire Rescue. When crews searched, they located the body floating just north of where the man was rescued.
