The U.S. Coast Guard announced the recovery of two more bodies from a boat disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Seacor Power, a 129-foot commercial ship, capsized Tuesday afternoon during a violent storm, trapping 19 people underwater off the coast of Louisiana.
Six crew members were rescued Tuesday, but after three days the rescue effort turned into a recovery effort. Two bodies were recovered by Thursday, with two more found Friday, the USCG announced.
In this photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, A Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot Response Boat-medium boat crew member searches for survivors near the capsized SeaCor Power. The Seacor Power, an oil industry vessel, flipped over Tuesday, April 13, 2021 in a microburst of dangerous wind and high seas. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
Officials identified two of the recovered crew members as Earnest Williams, 69, and David Ledet, the 63-year-old captain, FOX 8 reported.
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The Coast Guard will not release the identities of the most recently recovered crew members out of respect for the families.
A Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot Respone Boat-Medium boatcrew heads toward a capsized 175-foot commercial lift boat Tuesday, April 13, 2021, searching for people in the water 8 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The Coast Guard and multiple other boats rescued six people onboard a commercial lift boat that capsized off the coast of Louisiana on Tuesday night and were searching for more, the agency said.(U.S. Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris via AP)
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family, friends, and loved ones of everyone involved in this tragic incident,” said Capt. Will Watson, commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “We are using every asset available to us to continue our search efforts.”
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The Seacor Power capsized about 8 miles away from Port Fourchon. The lift boat was en route to deliver equipment to an oil platform near the mouth of the Mississippi River when it encountered tropical storm-force winds and “suddenly higher waves.”
Lafourche Parish deputies patrol along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, not far from where a lift boat capsized during a storm on Tuesday, killing one with 12 others still missing, on Elmer’s Island, La., Thursday, April 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Seacor has contracted with divers to assist in the recovery efforts, working around the clock to find the missing crew members, The Advocate reported.
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Dangerous weather conditions have hampered the rescue efforts, with divers periodically forced to halt operations.
One of the recovered crew members was found 33 miles from the disaster site. An aerial crew spotted the body Thursday night, and a Coast Guard boat was deployed Friday morning.
“Now 68 hours in,” Spencer Gremillion, a friend of some crew members, wrote on Facebook. “The weather conditions have still been rough, but they’ve been able to run lines to numerous entry points. They have still yet to go inside of the boat. We’re unsure why there isn’t more that can be done.”
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Families of the missing crew have received twice daily briefings since Wednesday.
Nine crew members remain missing.