Coast Guard Suspends Search For Person In River
DETROIT (WWJ) - The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for a possible person in the water in the Detroit River just before 1 pm Saturday.
The U.S. Coast Guard began searching the river Saturday morning after receiving a report of an unmanned personal watercraft running in circles with the engine on near Belle Isle. The watercraft was an 8-foot Sea Doo with registration numbers MC8195NW.
A 33-foot special purpose craft from Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, a 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station St. Clair Shores, and an MH-65C Dolphin Helicopter from Air Station Detroit and a marine unit from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department searched approximately seven miles of the Detroit River, from Belle Isle to the Ambassador Bridge.
The search delayed the start of the Detroit ABPA Gold Cup Race to start, although the race was allowed to resume while search efforts continued.
The Coast Guard suspends a search and rescue case with extremely great care and deliberation. After a probable search area is saturated with the appropriate number of assets and resources - and maximum crew effort has been expended - and persons in distress are still not located, a decision is made to suspend a case.
The search can resume if credible information is received that persons reported missing have survived.
The Coast Guard recommends boaters leave float plans with friends or family members before getting underway. A properly filled out float plan can provide the Coast Guard with valuable information if a boater gets in trouble and is unable to contact emergency responders. The float plan should include whom to contact if the boater is overdue.
