La. (CNN) — One person is dead, six have been rescued, and 12 remain missing after a commercial boat capsized Tuesday off Port Fouchon in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Coast Guard says a total of 19 people were on board the lift boat when it set sail around 1:30 pm Tuesday. Distress signals from food samaritan vessels alerted authorities the boat capsized about three hours later.
Nearby boat crews helped the Coast Guard in rescuing people.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans had issued a special Marine warning Tuesday about steep waves in the region.
In a Wednesday press conference, Coast Guard Commander Capt. Will Wilson said, “We had 80 to 90 mile per hour winds, Now, consider that challenging… 80 to 90 mile per hour winds and seven to nine-foot seas, and extremely limited visibility. That’s challenging under any circumstance.”
The capsized boat is a 129-foot power lift used for oil and gas exploration.